Transitions
by ScruffyLovin
Summary: Sequel to "Changes." Jack and Sam's relationship grows, going through it's ups and downs with a little help from their SGC family. SamJack, with a side order of DanielJanet.
1. Jack's Jaunt

**Summary: **Jack and Sam's relationship grows, going through it's ups and downs with a little help from their SGC family. SamJack, DanielJanet.

**Timeframe: **Takes place approximately one year after _"Changes". _

**Characters/Pairing: **Established SamJack, established DanielJanet, Team, Cassie

**Genre: **Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Family

**Rating: **T

**Started: **Dec. 10, 2007 **Finished: **Dec. 25, 2009

**Transitions**

**Chapter One: Jack's Jaunt**

Sam stepped out of the wormhole and made her way down the ramp with Daniel and Teal'c not far behind. Her gaze immediately went out toward the control room window, and she smiled brightly, seeing Jack waiting for her as he usually did if he was on base. In one year his condition had greatly improved. Janet had him on anti-seizure medication, and he still suffered the occasional blinding, or debilitating headaches and bouts of nausea, but he had healed much more significantly mentally. His memory was much better, and he was just as quick on his feet as before. Other than the panic disorder he seemed to have developed, which affected him during moments of high stress, Jack was usually able to carry on normally.

As she handed over her gear to the technicians, Sam briefly reflected on the past several months as she went to greet Jack. Their relationship had really blossomed a little over six months ago, when he'd shown signs that his full mental capacity was pretty much back to normal. She'd even moved all her things into his place and sold her own house. They were happy together, and although Jack tended to get a little stir crazy as he was still forced to be medically retired, Hammond helped to keep him busy by continuing to involve him in the Stargate Program. Jack was able to lend his expertise in the training programs, and add his input during certain briefings, and for team missions. She knew he was still envious about being unable to join SG-1 through the gate, and that he often got worried when she was gone, but on rare occasions he was authorized to go for 'supervising' missions, which usually involved babysitting a group of scientists, or some off-world training exercises run by another SG team leader.

"Hey." Jack grinned at Sam and gave her a quick hug before the guys came up behind her. "How'd the newbies do?"

"Well, Daniel got himself shot with an Intar at the beginning of the exercise." Sam laughed, jerking her thumb in the archaeologist's direction.

Said archaeologist ducked his head sheepishly.

Jack's eyebrows rose and he chuckled. "I still can't believe Hammond's actually letting you guys use those things on the recruits."

Teal'c smiled a little. "They are indeed useful training weapons, O'Neill."

"Yeah, Jack," Daniel added. "They've been in testing for over a year and have been proven safe for training."

"Whatever you say." Rolling his eyes, Jack patted Daniel on the shoulder and turned down the corridor. "C'mon Danny-boy, I'll buy you a slice of pie."

"Jack, the pie in the commissary is free," Daniel told him, shaking his head and following after his friend with Sam and Teal'c. It was hard to believe how different Jack had been a year ago, and Daniel couldn't be more grateful for small miracles. His friend had come back to them.

-

"Hey, Sam?" Jack wandered into her lab after the mission debriefing to find her typing up some evaluation notes on the latest recruits.

She looked up from her work and smiled at him. "Hey. What's up?"

Jack sidled up to her, leaning over to wrap his arms around her and kissing her cheek affectionately. "You almost ready to head home?" he asked softly, resting his chin on her shoulder.

Nodding, she quickly continued to type away at her laptop. "Yep, almost done," she promised, her brows furrowing suddenly with concern as she felt him sag heavily against her and nuzzle his forehead into her shoulder. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Jack breathed, pulling away from her and sinking into the nearest vacant chair. "I'm just tired," he assured her with a tight smile. It was days like this that he really wished he was still able to drive. However, with the risks his sudden headaches and the possibility of seizures posed, it just wasn't going to happen.

Sam suddenly remembered that today had been the day Janet had wanted to do her monthly full run of tests and physical exercises with him. Fraiser had insisted this be done at least once a month so she could keep track of his progress, even though he had healed a great deal already and she doubted much more damage would be reversed. Sam knew her friend also wanted to be sure that Jack didn't regress any from the use of the Tok'ra's pod. It had been a concern of Janet's and Sam's as well, ever since he'd used it.

"I'm sorry Jack, I completely forgot," Sam exclaimed guiltily, sympathy in her eyes as she gazed over at Jack. She was usually able to be there with him for the grueling tests, but this time she'd been away on a mission.

He blinked at her, brows furrowing in confusion. "What?"

"Janet and her tests today." She grimaced, turning away from her computer and scooting the chair closer to his. "How'd it go?"

Jack just shrugged and waved a hand dismissively. "Eh, results are good so far. No changes from last time." He shrugged again, indifferently, and offered her a tired smile.

Sam frowned a little, knowing just how exhausted he must have been. Dealing with a bunch of doctors and nurses and their constant poking and prodding all day could be a very trying experience. She turned away from him a moment to shut down her laptop. "I can finish this up tomorrow," she said reassuringly, getting up and reaching for Jack's arm to pull him to his feet with her.

Not allowing her to let go of him just yet, Jack pulled Sam into his arms and hugged her tightly, burrowing his face into the crook of her neck. "I love you so much, Sam," he murmured softly into her neck.

"I love you, too." Her own arms wound tightly around his back and she reveled in his warmth, though was a little concerned at the sudden affection. Since he recovered, Jack didn't hesitate when showing his love for her, and did so often, whether or not others were around. Of course he toned it down when there actually _were _others present, especially when they were on base, but he and Sam were so close, and he just loved being able to express his emotions after being unable to really do so for over a year. But today he seemed a little bit clingy, and she absently wondered if he'd had an episode when she was away and he didn't want her to know about it. Sam made a mental note to see if Janet knew anything later.

Kissing her lips gently, Jack slowly pulled away with a smile. "Let's go, Dorothy's waitin' at home."

She nodded, quickly gathering up her things and moving with him out the door, locking up her lab behind them.

-

Having been eagerly awaiting her owners' arrival, Dorothy barked happily and pounced on Jack the moment he stepped through the front door. She licked his face, wagging her tail happily as he patted her head before jumping up at Sam to greet her in the same way.

"Yeah, we missed you too, girl." Jack chuckled, stepping around the big German Shepherd and making his way to the kitchen to get her food.

"I think she only missed us because she was hungry," Sam joked as she watched Dorothy scarf down the kibble as soon as Jack poured it into her bowl. When he went to get the dog fresh water, Sam shed her coat and draped it over a chair at the table. She made her way over to the refrigerator and leaned over, peering inside while Jack took off his own coat and slipped out of his shoes. "What do you feel like having for dinner?" she asked him, grimacing at the bare contents of their fridge.

Jack moved to peak over her shoulder, his eyebrows rising as he chuckled softly at her ear. "Um, I'm thinkin' take-out." He smirked and pulled back as she closed the refrigerator door and turned to face him, hands on her hips in thought.

She nodded. "We'll definitely need to go grocery shopping tomorrow."

"Uh-huh." Jack grinned at her lopsidedly. "In the mood for pizza?" he suggested with a shrug.

"Sure, pizza's good," Sam agreed, going down to the living room with him to get the phone. She sat at the edge of the coffee table and hit speed dial while Jack turned on the TV and sunk down into the couch.

Jack yawned loudly as he stretched out across the couch cushions and pulled the blanket from the back over himself.

Sam noticed that Jack had fallen asleep by the time she finished placing their order and turned to gaze at him for a moment, finding peace in his relaxed features. She loved the man so much, and even considering everything they'd both been through, she wouldn't have changed a thing.

-

Sam hadn't had the heart to wake him once the food arrived, and wound up eating a couple slices of pizza before neatly plating and covering the rest up with plastic wrap. She set the remainder of the pizza on the kitchen table and picked up a book to read while lounging on the armchair in the living room. Dorothy had joined them and was lying on the floor between the couch and the coffee table.

Jack had started to mumble in his sleep, moving around fitfully.

Dorothy sat up where she'd been lying on the floor and cocked her head at Jack, seeming to watch him curiously.

"Jack?" Sam set her book down and sat up in the armchair, leaning toward him. "Jack, wake up."

_"Sam?" _he murmured, still appearing to be deeply sleeping, apparently caught up in some dream. His face twisted and he rolled to his side, facing her, but not waking up. _"Don't go Sam... Duh-don't go..." _Jack's fingers desperately grasped at the couch cushions, his brows deeply furrowed. _"I'm sorry.... I'm sorry."_

"Jack!" Sam was at his side instantly, pressing a hand to his shoulder, wary of his jerky movements. "Jack, honey, wake up. I'm right here, Jack; listen to me." She shook his shoulder and moved backwards just in time to avoid a flailing arm as he suddenly shot upright, his eyes open and wild, body trembling.

Seeing the beginnings of a panic attack, Sam slowly and calmly sat beside him on the couch and reached a hand behind him to gently stroke the back of his neck with her thumb. "_Shh...shh._ It's okay, Jack; relax. Take deep breaths, come on," she soothed when he began taking quick, panicked breaths. "Come on, slow down. You're starting to hyperventilate. Listen to me Jack; slow, deep breaths." Sam moved her hand to his back, rubbing in soothing circles in her attempt to calm his breathing. "I'm right here with you. It was just a dream," she assured him.

He slowly began to relax after a few minutes, his breathing returning to normal, lean frame no longer shaking uncontrollably. Jack ran a hand through his hair, heaving a loud sigh and leaning forward to drop his face in his hands. "God," he groaned. "I'm sorry, Sam."

"It's alright," she told him softly, her hand returning to gently stroke the nape of his neck again. Leaning against his shoulder, she kissed his cheek, smiling lovingly against his face, his five o'clock shadow scratchy against her lips. "The pizza came about an hour ago. I put the rest on the kitchen table. You hungry?"

Jack nodded, turning his head to grin appreciatively at her. He didn't want to talk about his nightmare, could barely remember it even, and was glad that Sam understood that. There was no one in the world that knew him as well as she did.

-

That night, Sam found that she had some trouble sleeping and wound up crawling carefully from her nice warm spot in bed beside Jack to wander downstairs to the kitchen. Dorothy had followed her from the bedroom, and as she sat at the kitchen table with a pint of _Ben & Jerry's _ice cream, the dog settled on the floor next to her chair. Over the soft thumping of the German Shepherd's tail against the floor, Sam could hear the quiet padding of footsteps nearing the kitchen. She turned to see a sleepy Jack entering the room to stride toward her and silently take the seat across from her. "Sorry," Sam apologized softly. "I tried to get up without waking you."

"It's okay." Jack nodded with understanding, a genuine smile spreading across his face, only for her. He patted his leg for Dorothy to come over to him, and lightly ran his knuckles over her muzzle when she rested her big head in his lap. "I forgot to take my pill anyways," he murmured, not looking at Sam now, as he knew she'd have something to say about that. He often forgot his nightly medication if she didn't remind him.

"Jack," she heaved with an exasperated sigh, shaking her head. Pushing away the pint of ice cream, Sam looked into Jack's dark eyes with concern. "Did you get sick?" she asked, wondering if that was the reason he'd woken.

"No." He shook his head. "I was just cold." Jack shrugged, and then smiled a little. "You weren't there."

She smiled back at him faintly, then grabbed her _Ben & Jerry's _and slid back the chair, getting up and moving to the refrigerator. Putting the cover back on her ice cream and sticking it in the freezer, Sam opened up the cupboard where they kept Jack's medicine and tipped one of the anti-nausea pills into her palm.

Jack yawned and rubbed a hand across his face, leaning his arms on the table, tiredly. He longed to go back to bed, but not if Sam wasn't coming with him. The sound of the water glass sliding across the wooden table had Jack lifting his head, having not even realized he'd dropped it in the first place. He blinked, then yawned again as Sam handed him the pill. Chasing the medicine down with the water, Jack yawned again and smiled lazily at Sam. "Wanna come back to bed now?"

Nodding slowly, Sam found herself yawning in response to Jack's multiple yawns. She blinked a few times, realizing that she was tiring again, and feeling as though she might be able to get back to sleep.

"Somethin' on your mind?" Jack asked quietly as he, Sam, and Dorothy went back to the bedroom.

"No, not really," she replied, a little too hesitantly for Jack's liking.

He wouldn't let her get away with that so easily. "Sam?" he tried again.

Sam paused and sat down. She heaved a sigh, her back towards him. "Jack, the General asked me if I'd go on a two day study of P7A-644 to do mineral surveys with one of the science teams."

Jack got up, coming around the bed to settle at her side. The groove between his brows deepened and he shrugged, not seeing why she was bothered by this enough that she couldn't sleep. "So? What's the problem?"

Frowning, Sam hung her head and tried not to smile when she felt Dorothy lie down behind them, leaning into their backs. "SG-4 is going to be supervising."

Suddenly, Jack smiled and shifted on the bed so he was more or less facing her. "That's great, I can probably go!" he said excitedly.

She turned to him now and sent him a smile she wasn't really feeling. Sam sighed, a tense, uneasy look on her face. "Jack, this is an overnight mission. Two days. I'm not so sure that-"

"Sam," he cut her off, placing both hands on her shoulders and gazing into her brilliant blue eyes. "It'll be fine, I can handle it," Jack assured her, getting a little annoyed she doubted him now.

She could tell by the tone of his voice that he was getting upset. Sam shook her head. She didn't doubt that he could handle being off-world for a few days, especially since she was going to be there as well. He was totally missing the reason why she was worried. "It's not that Jack, I'm sure you'll be fine," she tried telling him before he got angry with her.

Jack dropped his hands from her shoulders, gently taking her hand in his. His dark eyes softened, brows furrowing. "Then what?"

"Jack..." she had to pause a moment to try to compose herself. Her lower lip trembled slightly as she fought to hold back tears that threatened to fall. She really didn't want to bring this up, but she didn't want him thinking she doubted him either. Sam sucked in a steadying breath. "Jack, I'm just... I'm just scared. You were with SG-1 supervising a group of scientists when-" she couldn't even finish, and by the look on his face she knew he understood.

He slowly pulled her into his arms, her face against his chest when she let him. Gently stroking her back, he pressed his lips to her forehead. "It'll be okay, Sam. They're not studying any weapons, right?" Jack didn't want to admit it, but thinking about his accident shook him up a little, too. It was something he tried not to think about too much. "There's nothing to worry about."

She just managed to shake her head against his chest. Sam knew she was being completely irrational. Jack had gone off-world at least twice in the past couple months when both Janet and Hammond cleared him to do so, but this would be the first actual scientific supervisory mission he'd been on. The other two times Jack went off-world were only for training exercises that lasted a few hours at most.

With his arms still wrapped tightly around Sam, Jack pulled her with him to lie down on the bed, drawing the covers up over them both. As she snuggled as close as possible to his chest, Jack gently kissed the top of her head and smiled against her hair. "It'll be fine, Sam," he assured her softly.

"I know." She tried to convince herself. Sam heaved a sigh into his chest and closed her eyes. Exhaustion was quickly creeping up on her again, and as her mind winded down, she knew she would get back to sleep. "Love you," she murmured tiredly.

"Me, too." Jack yawned, relaxing into the pillows. He closed his eyes when he felt Sam rest limply against him and allowed himself to follow her into sleep.

-

After General Hammond approved in Jack joining the scientific mission, Sam went with him to the infirmary for their pre-mission checks. The other scientists and SG-4 had already gotten their checks done, but Jack's had to be a little more involved than the others were. When Sam was done with one of the nurses, she sat down on the bed beside Jack as Janet carefully looked him over.

"Have you got all your pills with you?" Janet asked him while she took his blood pressure.

"_I've _got them," Sam butted in before Jack could answer. She smiled and stuck her tongue out when he teasingly narrowed his eyes at her.

Removing the blood pressure cuff, Janet started moving toward another room just off the infirmary and waved for Jack and Sam to follow. "C'mon, I've got the results from Jack's latest PET scan."

Sam shared a brief look with Jack as they both slid off the bed to follow the doctor.

Janet brought the results up on a set of computer screens and pointed to the colorful scanned images of Jack's brain. She first indicated a picture on the left. "This is one of his scans from six months ago," the doctor then pointed to the picture on the right, "And this is from yesterday. See the difference in brain activity? There's a huge improvement," she told them happily.

Jack's eyebrows lifted and he nodded somewhat disinterestedly. "Yeah, that's great Doc. But it's still the same as a couple weeks ago."

Still smiling, Janet shook her head. "No, you see," she typed up a command on the keyboard and replaced the image from six months ago with the one from two weeks ago. "There's a very slight increase in the one taken yesterday."

Sam studied the images on screen with interest. "That's good, isn't it?"

"Of course it is!" Janet was absolutely beaming by now. "Jack, remarkably, your brain is still working to correct the damage that's there. I'm not sure how much more can be repaired thanks to the help from your Ancient gene, but this is excellent news nonetheless!"

"Um, okay, sure." Jack shrugged, smiling lopsidedly. "This mean I'm cleared to go off-world now?"

Janet gave an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes. "Yes, Jack, you can go."

"Sweet." He grinned, turning to Sam and giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm goin' to get geared up. See ya in the ready room."

Sam watched him go, then took a closer look at the scans and noticed a tiny speck of white that was on both. "Janet? What's that?" she asked worriedly, pointing at the identical anomaly in each scan.

Janet smiled reassuringly as she appeared to realize what Sam was looking at. "Oh, that. A tiny sliver of shrapnel about the size of a fingernail clipping was left behind after his first surgery. We weren't able to remove it because it had gone so deep, but it isn't doing him any harm that we can tell, so we just left it where it was."

"Huh." Sam blinked thoughtfully. "I never noticed before."

"It's hard to spot if you're not looking too closely," Janet said.

Sam just nodded and was about to follow Jack when Janet grabbed her arm. She spun, a questioning look on her face as her friend pulled a bottle of pills from her lab coat pocket and handed them to her. "What's this for?"

"It's a sedative," Janet said quietly. "Just in case," she hurriedly added when Sam gave her another confused look. "If a memory or _anything_ triggers a panic attack, give him one of those to calm him down. They're only mild. I know you're usually able to get him to relax before he has a full-blown attack, but just to be sure." Janet indicated the pills now in Sam's hand.

"Thanks, Janet," Sam told the doctor appreciatively. She quickly tucked the small bottle into the pocket of her BDU pants and smiled tightly, still feeling a little apprehensive about Jack accompanying her on this overnight mission. Waving, Sam left, following Jack's exit to the ready room to gear up for the mission.

-

With Teal'c taking care of Dorothy for the two days they'd be off-world, Jack found himself hoping the dog would behave herself for their Jaffa friend as he walked alongside Sam to their camp site. SG-4 marked off the area where the scientists would be working a day earlier, and the camp had been set not far away. The rather spacious two-man tents they were supplied with had surprised Jack, and he supposed it had to do with some complaints made by the team of Egg-Heads. The scientists had been known to whine about cramped sleeping quarters off-world.

"Jack, I'm just going to go over to the lab tent to help Dr. Lee set up the computers," Sam explained once she'd finished helping him get their things inside the tent and set up the sleeping bags.

"Okay." Jack nodded absently and crawled from the tent, his hand brushing against the M9 on his side holster. He was comfortable with the feel of the weapon against his leg and felt grateful being permitted to carry the gun. He couldn't imagine being off-world without a means to protect himself, however unlikely the chance of being attacked or getting into any kind of trouble was on these kinds of missions. It was just better to be safe than sorry. He knew that from experience. "I'll go with SG-4 to sweep the camp's perimeter," he told her with a small, familiar smile gracing his lips.

Sam nodded, glancing briefly into his eyes before she walked away.

Adjusting his tactical vest, Jack made his way over to Major Mason Howe. "Hold up, Major," he called, waving a hand to gain the other man's attention.

"Sir." SG-4's leader turned to him.

Jack fought not to roll his eyes at the title. Most of the base personnel had been calling him Colonel and Sir once more since he'd been working with the SGC again, however rarely, and as much as he appreciated their respect, it wasn't necessary. However, he never said anything about it. Shrugging it off, Jack nodded at the Major. "Mind if I join you in a perimeter check?"

"Of course not, sir." Rosy-cheeked Major Howe nodded with a small smile. He jerked his chin toward the small, brown-haired Lieutenant on his team. "Jentzsch, find Bseiso and keep an eye on the mad scientists for a little while, wouldja? Colonel O'Neill and I are doing a quick sweep, and Captain Marvin's getting a nice fire going for us."

Lieutenant Amy Jentzsch nodded in acknowledgment at her commanding officer and hooked her MP5 over a shoulder before heading toward the scientists' work area.

Jack trudged along the mountainous terrain in silence with Major Howe. Their camp was at the base of a mountain, about a mile from the gate, the scenery rocky and thickly forested with bright evergreens. It was an enjoyable view as they crossed bubbling brooks and passed by smaller cliff walls, each man taking a good look at their surroundings.

-

While Jack was out with Major Howe, Sam had already gotten to work after quickly setting up the computers with Dr. Lee. She was checking out atmospheric readings while the other two scientists were taking soil and water samples, accompanied, as a precaution, by Lieutenant Jentzsch and SG-4's civilian team member, Dan Bseiso.

Sam noted, that even at the base of the mountain, she was getting high altitude readings. She could feel it in the dryness of the air, the thinner oxygen, and went about warning the others to drink plenty of water and not to exert themselves too much. Since it was the first day with the change, she expected they'd adjust a little better by the time they left, but they would only be spending one night on the planet and it would probably take around forty-eight hours for their bodies to be accustomed to the altitude. She'd radioed Jack and Major Howe, giving them the news and warnings, since they were both exerting themselves more than anyone was, having to trek up steep inclines and mountainous terrain during their perimeter check.

Finished with her readings and making a note of the atmospheric conditions on her laptop, Sam packed as much in as possible and went toward the warm, blazing fire that Captain Marvin had got going. The air was cool, but not as chilly as the December weather in Colorado, and she welcomed the warmth of the fire, taking a seat in one of the folding camp chairs they'd brought. As she sat, staring into the fire while her mind continued to work, Sam decided that the area on this planet must have been at a higher altitude than even Colorado, because otherwise they wouldn't be noticing any differences. She also found it odd that atmospheric MALP readings, and those taken earlier by SG-4 had given normal readings.

"Coffee, Major?" Captain Will Marvin passed over a steaming tin cup, which Sam gratefully accepted.

"Thank you, Captain." She nodded at him, looking past him when she noticed Jack and Major Howe emerging from the trees. Sam smiled as the two men strode toward them, both looking a little tired. Her brows furrowed slightly. "You guys should both try and get some rest. You've been doing a lot of moving around and are probably starting to feel a little more altitude sick than any of us."

"I'm okay, Major," Howe told her with a dismissive wave of his hand. He took a seat when Captain Marvin offered his commanding officer his chair and went to grab another one. "Thanks Will." Howe nodded appreciatively at the younger man. He pulled out his canteen and drank deeply as Jack did the same. They'd both remembered Major Carter's warning about getting lots of fluids and staying hydrated.

Jack sat heavily at Sam's side on an old tree stump. He was exhausted. At first he hadn't even noticed the thinner air, and thought maybe he was just out of shape and would need to be hitting the gym a little harder, but then Sam had radioed him and Major Howe and he'd realized that it was the altitude making him feel this way. Jack rubbed absently at his forehead, heedless of Sam's studious gaze on him. He knew the planet's atmosphere caused the headache, and it wasn't one of his crippling migraines, but it didn't make him feel any better.

Watching Jack finish off the water in his canteen, Sam set her coffee cup on the ground and reached for her own water, handing it to him. "Here, drink some more," she instructed gently.

He took it, gratefully draining a quarter of the canteen and passing it back to her.

Lieutenant Jentzsch headed over with Dan, Dr. Lee, and the other two scientists, Doctors Sydney Loren, and Drew Martin, before Sam got the chance to tell Jack to go in their tent and get some rest. Jentzsch and Bseiso were carrying over packs of MREs for their dinner.

"I recommend eating lightly," Dr. Lee warned them all as they sat around the fire and opened up their MREs. "If you're not already feeling it now, nausea will probably be setting in before the day is over." He paused to give the rations in his pack a disgusted look. "We can expect headaches, poor appetite," Lee grimaced again at the food, "nausea, tiredness, possibly dizziness, and trouble sleeping."

"Great," Jentzsch muttered under her breath with a sigh.

Major Howe's gaze flittered across everyone seated around the fire. "It's only starting to get dark now, but I'm going to suggest that everyone bed down early tonight." He saw the anxious looks on the scientists' faces, knowing that they were eager to continue their work. "If you're all still adjusting to the altitude tomorrow, and are unable to complete your research, I'll send a message through to the General to request a little more time," he told them placatingly, speaking mostly to Dr. Loren and Dr. Martin, who were looking most concerned.

"Thank you, Major." Dr. Martin nodded appreciatively, and couldn't help it as his eyes shifted briefly toward Jack with a pointed look. He'd known the Colonel before his accident, from when SG-1 had supervised a different science excursion he'd been on. O'Neill certainly hadn't been as patient as Major Mason Howe, and Drew remembered that the Colonel had ordered the scientists to pack up early and return to Earth on at least one occasion.

"My team and I will take watches during the night while the rest of you sleep," Howe informed them all, sharing nods with his team and getting no complaints from anyone.

-

Jack had been kneeling down in their tent, adjusting the sleeping bags and digging through his pack when Sam ducked inside. He turned to her with a lopsided grin. "Hey."

"Hi." She smiled back at him and crawled over to sit on the fully opened bag stretched across the floor of the tent. Another bag was completely unzipped and laid out like a blanket over the first. Sam smiled again. Jack was obviously adjusting their sleeping arrangements so it would be a little more like home. She couldn't help but love him for that. Sam wasn't expecting they'd be doing more than literally sleeping together, and wasn't concerned about breaking any of the General's rules. Though no longer bound by the fraternization regulations, Hammond still expected them both to conduct themselves accordingly while working, and Sam and Jack respected the man enough to do so.

Sam removed her boots and jacket as she settled beside Jack, seeing that he had already divested himself of his jacket, vest, boots, and sidearm holster. Both wearing their BDU pants and t-shirts, Jack had started to get comfortable beneath the sleeping bag that covered them when Sam paused, still sitting up. Her brows furrowed. "What were you looking for in your pack?" she asked, realizing that he hadn't taken anything out of it, but had been digging around a lot to find something.

"Ah...my pills." Jack grimaced, making a face like a little boy that knew he was about to be scolded. "I couldn't find them."

"That's because I put them in _my _pack." Sam sent him a reassuring smile and pulled her bag on her lap. She took out a small black carrying case with all Jack's medication in it, then tipped out his pill for nausea and handed it to him along with her canteen. "Here you go." Sam then reached for her vest and removed one of the standard issue blister packs of Tylenol. Taking two for herself, she handed two to Jack as well.

He'd taken the first pill, and then furrowed his brows, looking at her with confusion as she gave him the Tylenol. "What's this for?" he grumbled.

"The high altitude headache." She dry-swallowed hers and waved for Jack to return her canteen. She took a few gulps and gave it back, waiting for him to down the other pills she gave him. "I know you've already got one, and I do, too. Just take them," she instructed, staring hard at him.

Jack took the extra pills grudgingly and passed her water back again. Lying down once more, he pulled Sam to him and drew the blankets over their shoulders, his lips brushing the back of her neck. "Rrm... Love you," he murmured softly against her neck, arms wound comfortably around her.

She smiled, lightly grasping his wrist and pulling it up to kiss the back of his hand. "Me too."

They both laid there for a little while, trying to fall asleep before Sam spoke up again, eyes opening. "Jack..." she began in a low, warning tone. "Is that your sidearm?" she asked, trying to hide the giggle that nearly erupted from her lips.

He chuckled softly against her back, wiggling around a little and tightening his hold on her as he shifted, kissing her shoulder. "Sorry, can't help it. I'll be good though," he promised sincerely, a slight amount of regret tingeing his voice.

Despite her best intentions, Sam giggled, and she just knew that Jack was smirking.

"No giggling," he teased as she shook with laughter against him. "That's not helping."

Sam was well aware that at this rate, they'd both have some difficulty getting to sleep, and it had nothing to do with the altitude. She repressed the urge to giggle again, breathing deeply and relaxing as Jack loosened his hold on her while he began to drift off, trying to do the same.

-


	2. Return Trip

**Chapter Two: Return Trip**

Sam woke, still wrapped comfortably in Jack's arms. She could feel his breath against the back of her neck and knew he was already awake. Slowly, she turned over in his arms so that she was facing him. Her heart warmed as he smiled at her. "Good morning," she whispered, a smile of her own spreading quickly across her face.

"Mornin'." He leaned forward the few inches of space that separated them and kissed her lips gently.

She made a pleased, humming noise before their lips parted, and then frowned. They could both hear everyone around camp moving about. Sam sighed, not wanting to move. "I suppose it's time to get up. We've got work to do."

Jack sighed with a reluctant nod. He really didn't want to get up either, and his head was still pounding, much to his annoyance.

When they both crawled out of their warm cocoon of blankets and tugged on jackets, boots, and vests, Sam knelt and turned to Jack, easily sensing his discomfort. "How do you feel? Still altitude sick?"

He made a face and shrugged. "Headache, little dizzy," Jack admitted, knowing very well that Sam could wrestle the truthful answer out of him effortlessly. He just found it inexplicably hard to lie to her. His eyes locked on hers, reflecting his own concern for her as he could see she wasn't feeling very great herself. "How 'bout you?"

"Headache and nausea." She grimaced, realizing that Jack probably wasn't nauseas at all because of the meds he'd taken before bed. Sam began digging through her pack, swallowing another couple Tylenol for herself, and then taking another blister pack out for Jack. Getting out the capsule for his seizure medication, she passed him all the pills at once.

Meds taken and suitably dressed for the day, Jack grabbed his sidearm holster and followed Sam out of the tent. He blinked blearily out in the morning sun and rubbed at his forehead as though it would make the headache go away faster. "Ugh." He groaned as he stretched, ambling toward the fire and the enticing smell of coffee with Sam. Dr. Lee, Dr. Loren, and Dr. Martin were already making their way toward their marked research spots and computers to check various readings, and SG-4 were all sitting around the fire in camp chairs, drinking coffee and munching on energy bars.

Howe and Jentzsch both looked as though they'd felt better, and appeared to be nursing headaches while they sipped their coffee.

"Good morning," Sam greeted everyone with a small amount of cheerfulness.

Major Howe and Lieutenant Jentzsch both nodded while Dan and Captain Marvin greeted Sam and Jack with a less-than-enthusiastic, "Major, Colonel."

"You guys are still feeling a little sick too, huh?" Sam surmised, pulling up two more chairs for her and Jack.

"Yeah." Howe glanced up with a grimace and a nod, and then waved a hand over at Lieutenant Jentzsch. "Amy threw up this morning, and I've got one helluva headache myself. Hardly slept a wink last night after my watch, too."

Jack gratefully sunk into the chair beside Sam and deftly caught the energy bar tossed his way. He slowly peeled away the wrapper as Sam nudged his elbow and set his coffee down on the ground beside his chair. He ate slowly, taking small bites.

Sam sipped at her coffee but skipped on the energy bar. She was eager to get to work with the rest of the scientists. SG-4 and Jack were there to supervise, but she was there to help with the 'geek stuff' as Jack called it. She turned to him, placing a hand gently on his thigh, speaking quietly. "You still need to take it easy today, alright? Don't over do it."

"Uh-huh." Jack's eyes narrowed slightly. He noticed she wasn't eating and broke off half of his energy bar, urging it into her hand. "That goes for you, too."

She smiled and nodded, taking a small bite of the food, though she wasn't feeling very hungry.

-

By mid-afternoon, Dr. Loren had run up to Sam and Dr. Lee excitedly, announcing she'd discovered an underground deposit of naquadah. All four scientists then quickly went to work analyzing and marking off the site, taking various samples, and doing whatever other scientific things that needed to be done.

"This is great," Sam said excitedly to Dr. Lee while they worked at the computers. "Once we report back to Hammond and get our results in, we can probably head back. A team will come in to extract the mineral and do some aerial scans of the planet to more thoroughly check for inhabitants. We don't want to make the mistake of mining on sacred ground or anything again," she said, recalling the incident with the Salish concerning their supply of Trinium.

Dr. Lee nodded in agreement. He'd obviously much rather study the naquadah back on Earth. It was much less dangerous than doing the research off-world.

-

Jack and Captain Marvin had just about gathered all the kindling they would need to keep the fire going for the entire night. They began trudging back to camp, having exerted themselves a little more than they should have given the effects the high altitude was still having on the entire group. Each man had tied their large bundles of sticks and small, fallen trees up with rope at each end, making it easier for them to carry.

Pausing to set down his bundle and take a swig from his canteen as the nausea started bothering him, Will drank quickly, then picked up his kindling again and went back to following O'Neill. They'd been talking a bit at first, but both men were feeling exhausted and had gone quiet for the walk back to camp. When Will noticed the retired Colonel stumbling before dropping his collected firewood and finding a tree to lean against, the Captain set down his own bundle and quickly went over to the older man. "Sir?" he questioned softly with concern.

"I'm fine," Jack insisted quickly, turning so that his shoulder leaned heavily against the big tree. His free hand soon found its way to his forehead. Deciding that this planet was SO not a fun place to be for one of his all too rare chances to go through the gate, Jack made a promise to himself that the next time he asked to join a mission, he'd make sure the atmosphere of the planet was thoroughly evaluated first.

Closing his eyes, Jack waited for the dizziness to fade as he pulled out his canteen and drank slowly. "Ya know Captain," he began lightly, "I am _really _not liking this planet all that much."

Will nodded beside him and smiled, shaking his head in agreement. "Can't argue with that, sir. I'm not liking this place much either." Taking a deep breath, he yanked the cap off his head and wearily ran a hand through his military-cut blonde hair. Feeling tired and nauseas, Will just really wanted to pack everything up and head back to Earth. He only hoped that his CO wasn't going to give the scientists that extra day. He doubted they'd need it, and got the feeling that the doctors weren't having such a fun time on this world either.

Deciding that they could both use the rest, Captain Marvin sunk down against a tree opposite Jack and pulled his canteen out, resting it on one raised knee. When O'Neill opened his eyes to glance at him, he sighed and said, "If you don't mind sir, I think we both ought to rest for a few minutes before getting back to camp."

Glad that he wasn't the only one feeling like crap, Jack nodded and slowly sank to the ground. He sighed heavily, leaning forward and crossing his arms over bent knees where he then rested his head.

-

Returning from their walk to the gate where they'd gone to radio Earth and report their findings to Hammond, Sam and Major Howe gathered around the waning fire where Lieutenant Jentzsch and Dan were sitting. The scientists were all packing up their gear after just confirming that they wouldn't need an extra day for study. Sam looked between Amy and Dan expectantly, wondering where Jack and Will were, surprised that they hadn't returned yet.

Mason seemed to be wondering the same thing. "Lieutenant, where are Colonel O'Neill and Captain Marvin?"

Dan was looking a little uneasy. "We're not sure, sir. They went to gather wood for the fire three hours ago."

"Have you tried contacting them?" Sam spluttered incredulously, feeling anger boiling up in her gut. There was no hiding her intense apprehension.

"Yes ma'am," Jentzsch responded quickly. "There was no response, and we thought it best to wait until your return before going to look for them."

Major Howe nodded in acceptance of her decision. "You did the right thing Lieutenant," he assured her.

Sam was already in motion before anyone could stop her, giving out orders hurriedly. "Howe, Bseiso, you're with me," she instructed quickly. "Jentzsch, keep an eye on the scientists and be on the look out in case Jack and Captain Marvin come back here."

"Yes ma'am." Jentzsch nodded readily.

-

"Major Carter." Mason Howe jogged a little to try to catch up with the focused woman, Dan moving along on his heels. "They've been gathering firewood. Maybe they're just taking their time getting back so they don't overexert themselves?" he suggested as they walked up a steep mountainside, searching for the two missing men. He wanted both Colonel O'Neill and Captain Marvin to be safe as well.

"What about the radios? They haven't responded to any calls." Dan said as he managed to catch up with the two fast moving officers.

Sam continued to walk quickly, ignoring her own fatigue and headache. After morning, her nausea had thankfully passed, but it was replaced with a nagging headache. She thought about the answer to Dan's question for a moment when Major Howe didn't say anything either. "There could be interference from the naquadah, or the signals just aren't transmitting well because of the mountains." Sam realized she was only trying to soothe her own fears, but it actually _was _working a little bit. She had to think logically. Jack was okay, she kept telling herself. The radios just weren't transmitting properly.

They made their way through a thick copse of trees into another clearing, and that's when they saw them. Two bodies curled up beneath opposite trees, wrapped bundles of kindling not far away from where they lie. Sam, Dan, and Mason made a run towards the unconscious figures.

Sam immediately knelt by Jack's side while Major Howe went over to Captain Marvin, with Dan standing unsurely between the two. She reached for Jack's pulse, finding it to be steady and mostly regular, if not a little fast. "Jack?" He started to stir a little as she pressed her warm hand against his forehead, turning to Major Howe. "He's waking up, Major. How's Marvin?"

"Pulse is steady," Howe called back to her, looking relieved. "He's coming around now."

"I think they just passed out," Sam thought aloud, looking down at Jack when his eyelids fluttered open. She moved her hand to rest behind his head. "Jack, can you hear me?"

He made a face, then groaned and slowly started to pull himself upright with Sam's help. "Sam?" He blinked at her in confusion, then took in their surroundings and spotted Bseiso before seeing Captain Marvin sitting up with Major Howe at his side, checking him over.

"Are you guys okay?" Sam asked him gently with concern, her brows knit together and one hand resting on Jack's leg. "You've been gone for a few hours now. No one could get you on the radio."

Jack blinked in confusion again, and rubbed at his forehead, leaning his back against the tree as Sam handed him his canteen. "Few hours?" he murmured sluggishly, blinking again and taking a drink. "We just sat down to rest for a couple minutes," he explained somewhat dazedly, still trying to remember when he'd nodded off.

"Yeah," Captain Marvin added, running a hand through his short, light hair. "We were both feeling pretty lousy and thought we ought to sit for a little while before returning to camp."

"We'll be heading back to the SGC as soon as we get back to camp anyways," Dan told them, momentarily staring down at his booted feet.

At Jack's questioning look, Sam explained. "The General's pulling us out. After our report, he decided he's going to send in a team for the sole purpose of evaluating the area and retrieving the naquadah. Janet convinced him that it isn't healthy for us to be here much longer if our bodies still aren't adapting to the altitude differences. I've discovered that amazingly, this planet can shift altitude from day to day. The team coming in to get the naquadah will be equipped with oxygen, but Hammond figures it isn't practical for us to hang around with cumbersome oxygen tanks just to do research that can be done in the labs on Earth."

"Oh." Jack nodded slowly, his foggy mind still trying to catch up with everything Sam had just told him. He closed his eyes, paused for a moment, then nodded again and quietly repeated, "Oh."

"So we're going home?" Captain Marvin looked relieved.

Dan chuckled and patted his friend and teammate's shoulder. "Yeah Willy, we're going home."

The Captain narrowed his eyes at the nickname.

Major Howe got to his feet and slowly, carefully, pulled the Captain up with him. He reached out a hand to steady the younger man when he swayed. "You alright, Marvin?"

"Yessir." Will nodded slowly and dusted himself off. "Really glad we're gettin' outta here, though." He smiled a little.

"C'mon." Sam patted Jack's leg and got up, grasping his wrists and pulling him to his feet. He was a little unsteady, so she hung onto him until she was certain he wasn't about to topple over.

"Let's pack up all the gear and get outta here," Howe instructed as he, Dan, and Sam led their once-missing officers back to base camp.

-

Coming home from P7A-644, the entire crew was exhausted and looked about ready to drop. They were all instructed to be checked out in the infirmary for their standard post-mission exams before meeting in two hours for a debrief with the General. Sam wasn't surprised when Janet sent the others with a few nurses to be looked at by Dr. Warner while she led Jack into a private room. Naturally, Sam followed and wasn't shooed away.

Because of his medical condition, Janet was most concerned about the effects the alien atmosphere had on Jack. He seemed just as drained as the others did, but she had to be sure there was nothing else. His post-mission exams had to be a little more thorough than the rest of the men and women coming back from off-world.

"How are you feeling Jack?" the doctor asked him kindly, taking out her stethoscope and lifting his shirt so she could place the cool metal disc on his chest.

Flinching briefly from the sudden coldness on his warm skin, Jack scowled and heaved a sigh. "Better now that we're off that damn planet," he grumbled, shrugging when Sam sent him a look. "What?"

Sam then told Janet about the effects the alien atmosphere was having on everyone involved in the mission. Much to Jack's chagrin, she also told the doctor how they'd found Jack and Captain Marvin passed out only hours ago. "He's still a little dizzy," Sam said without looking Jack in the eye. She knew he'd be glaring at her.

Jack rolled his eyes. So what if he was still a little dizzy? The doc didn't have to know _everything_, did she? Wait, this was Janet; _of course _she had to know every little detail. That was her job, and she was damn good at it. "Just a _little_!" he insisted when Janet eyed him critically. Pointing at Sam, he childishly blurted, "She's got a headache!"

Janet laughed aloud for a moment and shook her head. "Okay, I'll look Sam over next. Just let me run a few tests, take a blood sample, and then I'm sending you home for some rest."

Groaning dramatically, Jack shifted where he sat on the edge of the bed and briefly closed his eyes. He wanted to go home _now_, not after tests. He knew that wasn't going to happen, though. Since Jack's medical condition prevented him from driving, he had to wait for Sam after the debriefing with General Hammond, and wouldn't be allowed to go home as soon as he wanted anyway. "Fine Doc, do your worst." Jack held an arm out to her as the doctor waved a nurse with an instrument tray over.

-

Sam was treated for her headache while Jack was taken for a CT scan. Once all the testing was done, she went to the briefing room while Jack showered and retreated to their on-base quarters to meet Teal'c. He needed to pick up Dorothy.

"O'Neill," Teal'c greeted his friend as he walked into the open door of the VIP room that was still used as Jack's on-base quarters. The Jaffa had barely been able to restrain the big German Shepherd once she could smell that her family had returned, and finally released her when she spotted Jack.

"Hey, T." Jack grinned at his friend, then immediately found himself almost face to face with Dorothy. She jumped on him, knocking him back onto the bed, her big paws on his chest while she licked at his face excitedly. "Hey girl, I missed you too!" He chuckled loudly and ruffled her fur, patting her head and giving her a good scratch behind the ears.

"She has been most anxious for your return, O'Neill." Teal'c told him, standing in somewhat of an 'at ease' pose with his hands clasped behind his back.

Jack sat up on the bed once Dorothy finally began to settle down to sit contently at his feet. "She give you much trouble then, T?"

"Nothing I could not handle." The Jaffa's stoic expression never wavered, until Jack gave him a look of skepticism and the corner of his mouth twitched up into a little smile.

"Ha!" Jack laughed, then yawned and tiredly flopped back onto the bed, kicking off his shoes as he did so. Dorothy jumped up with him and laid down at his side.

"You seem most fatigued, O'Neill," Teal'c observed without moving, his eyes briefly studying his friend. When Jack said nothing, the Jaffa gave a barely perceptible nod and began backing towards the door. "I shall leave you to rest."

"Hey, Teal'c?" Jack muttered sleepily, still not moving from where he'd flopped onto the mattress. He turned his head to see his friend pause at the door expectantly. "If you see Sam, let her know where I am, will ya? I'm just gonna take a short nap while she's at the debriefing." Yawning loudly, Jack groaned and rolled onto his side.

"I will indeed, O'Neill." A small smile quirked on the Jaffa's lips before Teal'c left the room and closed the door behind him.

Jack pulled the throw from the end of the bed over himself and scooted upwards to rest his head among the pillows. He was truly exhausted, and was asleep within seconds of his head hitting the pillow.

-

The debrief was quick, and afterwards Sam was eager to go take a shower before she'd gone to find Jack. After hitting the locker room and changing into civvies in preparation to go home, Sam ran into Teal'c getting into the elevator.

"Major Carter." The Jaffa gave a slight bow. "It is good to see you have returned. Are you searching for O'Neill?"

"Thanks Teal'c. It's good to be back." She nodded at him with a smile, and then said, "Yes, I was just going to look for Jack."

"He wished for me to tell you that he would be in his private quarters. He is accompanied by Dorothy," he told her as the elevator doors closed and she hit the floor button for the staff quarters.

"Thank you Teal'c," Sam said appreciatively. When the elevator stopped on the correct floor, she left Teal'c with a wave and friendly smile as she went to go get Jack. It was about time they headed home. The both of them could use the rest.

When Sam opened up the door to their on-base quarters, she wasn't really expecting to find Jack zonked out on the bed with Dorothy curled up beside him. Smiling at the peaceful sight before her, she was almost envious that he'd snagged a chance to rest already. However short the debriefing was, Sam had been just as exhausted due to the physical demands from the planet's atmosphere, and longed to curl up in her nice, warm bed at home.

Dorothy had lifted her head with perked ears at Sam's entrance, her tail thumping happily against the mattress as her other owner strode toward the bed, though she didn't bother getting up. The dog was just much too comfortable to move.

Sitting gingerly on the edge of the bed, Sam reached over to pat the dog's head. "Hey Dorothy, I missed you." She smiled at the animal and then leaned over on the bed, gently kissing Jack's shoulder, and then his cheek. "Wake up sleepyhead," she crooned softly in his ear.

"Rrrmm..." Jack groaned and shifted slightly, but didn't open his eyes.

"Come on Jack, we're going home now." Sam began to rub his chest, trying to rouse him without startling him awake.

He pried an eye open, suddenly flinging an arm around her and pulling her to him so that her face was buried into his neck. "Nope." Jack shook his head and smirked to himself, kissing the top of her head. "Too comfy. Wanna stay," he murmured.

"Jaaaaaack," she whined into his neck. As cozy as their special VIP quarters could be, it just didn't compare to home. "Home. Bed. Now."

He chuckled and loosened his hold on her. "Well, if ya put it that way." Jack winked when she pulled back and smiled, shaking her head and raising eyebrows at him. Sitting up, he scrubbed a hand through his hair and pressed his thumb into his chest. "Me Tarzan, you Jane."

Sam laughed, then rolled away from the bed and stood up.

Dorothy got up on all fours at the mention of home, then hopped down with Sam, wagging her tail expectantly.

"Lookit that. Even Dorothy's rarin' to get home." Jack winked down at the dog, then more slowly got out of bed and ruffed up the scruff on the German Shepherd's neck.

"Okay. Let's get out of here." Sam smiled over at Jack as he began to swagger from the room, his hair sticking up madly from sleep. Dorothy trotted along with them and she locked their quarters up on their way out.

"You know," Sam began pensively as the three of them got into the elevator to head topside, "We never did get to go grocery shopping."

Jack chuckled and leaned up against the elevator wall. "Guess it's take-out or canned soup again tonight."

-


	3. Limitations

**Note: **Since I'm unable to reply by email, I just want to say thank you to those anonymous reviewers. I appreciate you all taking the time to review! :)

**Chapter Three: Limitations**

After finally having a good, restful night's sleep, Sam and Jack spent the morning drinking coffee together and reading the newspaper before heading out of the house to finally do some grocery shopping. Dorothy wasn't too happy that her family was leaving her again, but there was no way they could take the dog to the store.

Sam looked at Jack as they got in her car. "You really don't have to come. I know how much you hate shopping."

Buckling his seatbelt, Jack shrugged. "Yeah, but there's no food whatsoever in the house, and if I don't go you won't pick up any of the good stuff." He smirked.

"You mean junk food." Sam rolled her eyes, a hint of a smile on her lips as she started up the car.

Jack chuckled. "Of course!" His eyes strayed back to her face as they pulled out of the driveway. "And beer. Don't forget the beer."

When Sam glanced at him, he was giving her one those boyish grins that she normally couldn't say no to. Instead, her face went very serious. "You know you can't have alcohol with the meds you're on," she said sternly.

He pouted. "C'mon Sam. A _little bit _every once and a while won't hurt. Even the doc said it was okay!"

Sam shot Jack a skeptical look as she came to a stop at a street light. "Oh really?"

"Uh-huh." He held up his hand and motioned with his thumb and forefinger. "Teeny bit."

"Fine." She caved when he gave her those big, puppy-dog eyes. She was weak, she cursed to herself. When the light turned green, she pulled forward and waved a finger at him. "We can buy ONE six pack, but you're not having a single drop until I get Janet's approval, got it?"

"Mm-hm." Jack had a big, self-satisfied grin on his face as he leaned back smugly in the seat.

-

Jack immediately made his way toward the alcohol once inside the grocery store, and picked up a six pack of Guinness with the most ridiculous grin on his face. He looked like a little boy, excited as if he was getting away with something he shouldn't. He couldn't even recall exactly the last time he'd had a beer, and he longed for it as though it would return just a little bit more normality to his life.

Sam was picking up eggs and milk when Jack spotted her and joyfully strode over with his beer. He placed the case lovingly in the cart and grinned. Sam gave him a look.

"I don't know why you're so excited. What makes you think Janet's going to say yes?" she asked him, her skepticism obvious, though it was having absolutely no effect on his hopeful mood.

Jack just shrugged nonchalantly and moved with Sam along another aisle. He snatched a box of Froot Loopswhile they passed the cereal, and tossed it happily into the cart that Sam was trying to fill with more nutritious foods.

After much debating over which foods were really considered a necessity or not, Sam and Jack finally left the store with their groceries.

Jack was leaning up against the driver's side door after Sam put the cart away. His arms were crossed casually over his chest. "Hey, I'll drive."

"Jaaaaaaaack." Sam stopped in front of him and sighed. He was starting to get frustrated at the things he could no longer do again. This seemed to happen every few months, and often threatened to leave him in a bit of a funk for a few days. It had begun with the beer today, and now it was driving. "You know you can't," she said softly, her hands resting on either side of his waist.

Heaving an exasperated sigh, Jack frowned and stepped away from her, no longer blocking the driver's side door. He went around the car silently and got in the passenger side.

When Sam got into the car, buckled her seatbelt and started the engine, she glanced at Jack with a small smile on her face. "I'll call Janet when we get back and ask about the beer, okay?" She tried to boost his spirits again, and was rewarded by a faint, lopsided smile on his part.

Jack was quiet and almost broody during the ride back home, but once there he helped Sam take in the groceries and decided to make something for lunch while she put the food away. "Sandwiches okay with you?" He asked, taking out some bread and digging through grocery bags to find the cold cuts.

Dorothy sat on the floor staring up at him and wagging her tail enthusiastically, hoping that maybe some food would fall her way.

"Yeah, sound's good." Sam nodded with a smile before turning to put the dry foods away in the cupboard. She then put away the things in the fridge. When she was done, she left the room for a few minutes to go make a phone call.

After finishing making two ham and cheese sandwiches, Jack brought them to the table with a bag of chips while Sam got the drinks. He sat down and lifted his head in surprise when she put an empty glass in front of him and poured half a bottle of Guinness. An eyebrow rose curiously.

Sam smiled back at him. "Janet said no more than two beers a week should be okay." She gestured toward the glass in front of him. "She also said _light beer_, but we already bought this and I figure cutting it down to half a bottle was okay."

Jack grinned, his eyes meeting hers appreciatively. "Thanks."

"Mm-hm." She nodded back at him with another smile and began eating her sandwich. She was just glad that doing a small thing like bringing back beer for Jack would make him a little happier. She knew it had been tough on him since he'd been regaining his memories and discovered these limitations during his recovery.

Taking slow sips of his beer after every few bites of his sandwich, Jack found himself unable to hide his grin as he savored the taste. It had literally been years since his last beer, and Jack had really missed the alcohol once he'd remembered drinking it. Not that he was a drunk or anything, but how can you have pizza without beer? There were things he'd missed more, but most of those weren't off limits to him, which was a minor blessing in itself. Like Sam.

-

The month of March came up pretty fast, and the weather had begun to get just a tad bit warmer. Sam had spent the past few weeks doing mostly lab work, with one or two off-world missions in-between. She was due for a few days off after her Monday mission with the team once the weekend was over, and Jack was grateful to get some time to spend with her out of work. He was getting bored sitting at home or hanging around the base all day, she could tell. At the moment, General Hammond didn't really have anything for him to do. So, on Sunday Sam called up Janet to see if she was free, and Sam and Jack went to spend the day with Janet and Cassie while Daniel was still working at the SGC, finishing some translations on a treaty with Teal'c for the team's mission on Monday.

It was an unusually warm day for March in Colorado, and they all decided to take full advantage of it. Jack sat on an old lawn chair in Janet's backyard, sipping a bottle of Heineken Light while waiting for the charcoal grill to fire up. They'd brought Dorothy with them, and the big dog was currently lying in the grass by Jack's feet along with Cassie's beloved little dog, Teddy.

"Jack!" Cassie appeared in front of him, an enormous smile on her bright young face.

Teddy got up immediately and jumped at her legs to get her attention.

Raising both eyebrows, Jack slowly leaned forward in the chair and set his beer down on the ground at his feet, making sure Dorothy couldn't knock it over. "Hey kiddo, what's up?"

Dorothy sat up with interest, wagging her tail eagerly as Cassie came over to pet her, Teddy galloping along at her heels.

Cassie smiled even wider, and for the first time Jack noticed that she had a plastic yellow bat under an arm, and a hollow white ball with holes in it. "Wanna play wiffle ball? Mom and Sam said they'd play. C'mon, please, it'll be fun, I promise!"

Jack chuckled with a small smile at the fifteen-year-old, acting so much like she had when she'd first learned of the game years ago. He got up from the chair and picked up his beer again, taking another sip before striding toward the charcoal grill some feet behind him and setting it down on the small plastic table nearby. Checking that the grill was hot enough, he tossed some chicken and steaks on the rack. The meat sizzled loudly. "Sure Cass," he finally answered. "But I gotta keep an eye on the food."

"Sweet!" Cassandra exclaimed brightly, using one of his usual phrases.

Dorothy was happy to sit down and guard the grill, her tongue hanging out as she salivated from the smell of delicious food. Teddy, on the other hand, chased right after Cassie.

Soon Janet and Sam came out the back door, heading farther out into the yard where Cassie was urging them all to follow her.

For half an hour they all played wiffle ball until the food was ready, and since it was starting to get rather cool outside, it was decided that they'd be eating in the house instead.

Jack hadn't forgotten the remainder of his beer and brought it inside, taking a seat at the kitchen table beside Sam, with Dorothy sitting on the floor between their chairs. He grabbed himself a steak from the plate of meat in the center of the table and plopped it down on his own dish. "Who else wants steak?" he asked, looking between Sam, Janet, and Cassie. There was a whine from the floor between him and Sam. Jack chuckled. "Besides Dorothy."

"I'll have half if someone wants to split it with me," Cassie said, reaching for the salad bowl.

Janet held out her plate to receive the piece of meat Jack was now waving around at the end of a big, two-pronged fork. "I'll have Cassie's other half."

Handing over the steak, Jack then stabbed a piece of barbecue chicken and put it on Sam's plate since she hadn't asked for steak.

"Thanks Jack," Sam smiled at him and then took a piece of corn on the cob before putting one on Jack's dish. She then reached for the baked potatoes and nudged Jack's foot with her own. "Potato?"

"Oh yeah." He nodded eagerly, mouth just about watering. Man, was he starved! He'd really worked up an appetite playing wiffle ball and was definitely looking forward to that juicy steak, fresh sweet corn on the cob, and baked potato.

Sam laughed softly at his enthusiastic response, and smiled before cutting into her chicken.

After dinner, everyone helped clean up and then they all huddled outside around the charcoal grill with sticks and marshmallows. Cassie was pleased to get to spend the time with her extended family, and they all engaged in friendly chatter while toasting their marshmallows and enjoying one another's company.

-

Late that night, Jack and Sam were lying in bed, wrapped up in each other's arms as they settled down to sleep. With Jack's head pillowed on her chest, and an arm draped across her waist, Sam wound her arm around him, thumb lightly stroking the back of his neck. "Jack?"

"Hrm?" he murmured sleepily, comforted by the feel of her thumb on his neck. He remembered how often she did that to soothe him when he hadn't exactly been himself.

"Did you want me to wake you in the morning so you can stay on base while I'm off-world?" She lightly raked her fingers through his hair, starting at the nape of his neck and repeating the motion. Sam knew how bored he'd been getting and tried to come up with ways to keep him occupied during the day while she had to work on the days they didn't need him on base for anything.

"Mmrph," he muttered against her chest, shaking his head slightly, eyes still closed. "Hockey game on...afternoon," came Jack's sleepy, mumbled response.

"Okay." Sam nodded in acceptance with a yawn, and then craned her neck so she could kiss the top of his head. Relaxing back into the soft pillow, Sam closed her eyes and began to fall asleep, her hand once more moving to rake through Jack's hair, thoughtlessly tracing the familiar scar above his right ear.

-

Sam had to leave early the next morning, and was showered, dressed, and had let the dog out and fed her before Jack had even woken. Leaving him a note on the refrigerator, Sam snuck back into the bedroom to plant a gentle kiss on his forehead while Dorothy curled up at the foot of the bed to go back to sleep, and was out the door.

As soon as she'd arrived on base, Sam changed into her BDUs, went to the infirmary for her pre-mission check, then grabbed a quick coffee and bagel in the commissary before meeting the rest of SG-1 in the briefing room.

Today was going to be a good day, Sam was certain. All SG-1 had to do was bring the treaty Daniel had been working on. Teal'c had helped him with the people's obscured language which was a twisted version of Goa'uld, the language of their slavers at one time. After the treaty was agreed upon and signed, SG-1 was to have a feast with the people to celebrate, and then they could go home. Sam wasn't worried about complications, the chances of which were few. They'd already had a meeting with these people and explored some of their land and customs on a previous mission. These were friendly folks, still looking to reclaim their freedom after decades of Goa'uld rule had destroyed their previous way of life. Sam was confident things would go smoothly, but she knew better than to let her guard down.

"Good morning, Major Carter," Teal'c greeted with a slight bow of his head as she entered the briefing room.

"Morning, Teal'c." Sam smiled back at him, taking a seat across the table and looking around curiously. General Hammond hadn't come out of his office yet, and she hadn't seen Daniel at all.

Suddenly, the rushed-looking archaeologist dashed up the steps into the briefing room, papers and notebooks tucked under one arm, coffee securely in hand. "Sorry, sorry," he quickly apologized somewhat breathlessly. "I had to add a few finishing touches on the treaty." Daniel blinked, sinking into the chair beside Teal'c and letting his papers sprawl on the table. "Am I late?"

Sam laughed quietly and shook her head. "Don't worry Daniel, you're not late."

Teal'c bowed his head. "Indeed. General Hammond has not yet joined us."

Daniel heaved a sigh of relief. "Phew." He gave a small smile.

Within moments, the General had come in, and everyone grew quiet as the briefing began.

-

When he'd finally managed to drag himself out of bed, Jack found Sam's note and smiled to himself. He glanced down at Dorothy, who was looking up at him from his side and wagging her tail happily. "You're not tricking me into feeding you breakfast twice _again_, girl. Sam's note says she already fed you." Smirking down at the dog and chuckling at the cock-eared look she gave him at the mention of food, Jack patted her on the head and swung the refrigerator door open, lazily scratching at his stomach as he peered inside to look for something to eat.

After eventually showering around eleven and throwing on some comfortable sweats and his favorite Chicago Black Hawks t-shirt, Jack lounged on the couch with Dorothy to watch the hockey game. With his sock-clad feet propped up on the coffee table, Jack smirked sideways as he glanced at the big dog sprawled across the cushion next to him, her head nearly hanging off the sofa, amber eyes alert and seeming to be watching the television just as he was.

More than half-way through the game, toward the end of the second period while the Black Hawks were ahead of the Flyers by three points, Jack quickly went to the kitchen during a commercial break. Letting Dorothy outside to go to the bathroom, he dug an individual pizza out of the freezer and tossed it in the microwave for lunch. Knowing very well that Sam only stocked the refrigerator with two beers a week so he couldn't go over his limit, Jack opted to save his one remaining beer and waited impatiently for his food to be finished cooking.

Seconds before the microwave beeped, Jack opened up the door to the back deck and let Dorothy back in, intending to get his food and hurry back to his game when the phone rang. Instead of reaching for the microwave door, he picked up the telephone on the counter and answered it with mild irritation. "Yeah?"

_"Jack, it's Daniel," _answered the voice on the other end, sounding decidedly subdued.

Knowing that his archaeologist friend had been on the same exact mission as Sam and shouldn't have been back already, Jack felt his heart leap into his throat at the tone of Daniel's voice. If everything was okay and the team had simply returned earlier than scheduled, it would be Sam calling him. "Where is she Daniel?" he asked desperately in a choked, raspy voice that surprised even him.

_"Sam's in the infirmary, Jack; but listen-"_

-

"She's not badly hurt and I'm coming to pick you up." Daniel finished, sitting on the edge of the desk in Janet's office while the doctor stood in the doorway. Hearing no response from his friend, Daniel blinked in confusion, brows furrowed. "Jack? Hello? Jack, you there?" Looking to Janet with worried eyes, the archaeologist exclaimed, "Dammit!"

Janet stepped forward, her eyes filled with concern of her own. She heaved a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. "He's probably on his way already."

Daniel started to rush from the office, talking all the way, the small doctor quick on his heels. "Jack isn't supposed to be driving! I'll head toward his house and meet him half way."

"Daniel, stop!" Janet barked in her forceful, doctor's voice as she grabbed his arm, spinning him to face her. "He probably won't even notice your car, and if he does you know Jack won't stop." She took in a breath and glanced down at Daniel's feet for a moment. "It's not too long of a drive, I'm sure he'll be okay," Janet told him reassuringly with more confidence than she was feeling. "If he's not here in half an hour you can go looking for him."

Agitatedly running a hand through his hair, Daniel wrapped an arm around himself and nodded finally. "Alright, but I'd better at least meet him up top. He probably won't have his security card to get down here."

"Okay," Janet agreed softly. "Teal'c's with Sam in case she wakes up, and I'll put a call through to the General so he can order the security guards to just wave Jack through the check points once he gets here."

Daniel nodded again and took off hastily, rushing toward the elevators.

-

Jack had dropped the phone as soon as he'd heard the word _infirmary_. He managed to find his own set of rarely-used truck keys in record time, and was out the door with Dorothy in less than a minute. He'd barely paused long enough to realize he almost dashed outside without putting on shoes. Jack was already a wreck, so focused on going to see Sam, his heart racing in time with his worried thoughts, anxiety pains already flaring in his chest.

Dorothy had sensed his uneasiness and attached herself to Jack's side as he rushed out the door and got into his truck. She laid down on the passenger seat and rested her head in his lap as if in an effort to comfort him while he drove.

-

Janet was just finishing checking over some X-rays when she heard voices and the barking of a dog just out in the hall near the infirmary. She recognized Daniel's voice and then Jack's panicked protests. Hurrying into the corridor, the small doctor found Daniel trying to steady a gasping, panicked Jack, with Dorothy pacing and barking beside him. Janet hastily went to them.

"Where's...Sam?" Jack demanded between rapid, gasping breaths. He was too distraught to think about anything but his concerns for Sam, wanting only to see her and know she was okay.

"She's going to be fine Jack, she's just got a mild concussion and a hairline fracture in her ankle," Janet explained quickly in her attempt to reassure him. It was obvious that a panic attack was quickly taking hold of him.

"See...her?" he gasped, suddenly grasping at his chest with one hand. Jack's whole body was shaking and he felt like he couldn't breathe, sharp daggers digging into his chest. Without warning, he dropped to his knees, overcome with dizziness. He felt Dorothy worriedly nudge her head against his back and heard her whine with concern.

Daniel latched onto his friend's shoulders, trying to steady Jack and prevent him from falling any further. "We'll take you to see her Jack, just take it easy, okay?"

Janet knelt in front of Jack and took hold of a suddenly-limp wrist, checking his pulse. Turning her head slightly at the sound of footsteps approaching, Fraiser spotted one of her nurses peering around the doorway and quickly shouted her orders. "Lieutenant, I need a sedative over here!"

The nurse took one good look at what was going on and hurried to retrieve the medication. "Yes ma'am!"

With Daniel's help, Janet managed to get Jack on his feet, and the three of them stumbled unsteadily into the ward, Dorothy on their heels. Jack was still breathing in short, rapid gasps, and shaking tremendously. Janet rubbed soothingly at his back as they guided him. "Jack, you're having a panic attack; you need to calm down," she instructed softly.

Sam's bed finally came into Jack's view as the nurse handed Janet the sedative and the doctor swiftly injected it into the side of his neck.

He stumbled as the medication began to quickly take effect, knocking him to his knees again. Still breathing harshly and feeling sharp pains in his chest, Jack lurched forward in an attempt to move closer to Sam's bed.

Daniel gripped Jack's arm tighter on his right while Janet did the same at his other side. "She's alright Jack, see? She's just unconscious."

_"Sam..." _Jack started to whisper breathlessly just before the sedative knocked him out, and he slumped limply between Janet and Daniel.

"Let's get him on a bed," Janet ordered with a nod to Daniel.

Quick to take most of their friend's dead weight, Daniel half-dragged him to the empty bed beside Sam's and hoisted him up onto the mattress.

Dorothy was quick to leap onto the bed with Jack, but Janet grasped at her collar and gently tugged her back to the ground. "I don't think so girl. No dogs in my infirmary. Sorry."

Teal'c stepped into the infirmary just in time to see the doctor's dilemma. He'd had to leave for a few minutes before Jack arrived when he was called to the General's office for a quick debriefing. Looking from Major Carter's bed, to O'Neill, and then to the dog being held by the doctor, he asked, "May I be of assistance Doctor Fraiser?"

"Teal'c!" Janet heaved a sigh of relief when she saw him. "Would you take Dorothy for a little while? I can't keep her in here."

"Indeed." Bowing his head slightly in assent, the Jaffa swiftly took her collar and led the reluctant animal from the room.

"Thanks Teal'c," Daniel told his friend gratefully, looking between his two friends in the infirmary beds with a sigh. He moved over beside Janet who was currently checking Jack's blood pressure. "Will he be alright?"

She nodded shortly, removing the blood pressure cuff. "He's hypertensive, but he should be okay once he calms down." Janet glanced over at her other unconscious friend with a small, solemn smile. "I just hope Sam's conscious by the time he wakes up. It'll be easier for him to relax if he can see that she's up and able to talk to him."

Daniel nodded his head in agreement and pulled up a seat between the beds to wait.

-


	4. Sam's Turn

**Chapter Four: Sam's Turn**

Opening her eyes for the first time in who knew how long, Sam groaned at the pounding in her head. She was staring up at the grey ceiling of the infirmary, and then suddenly, a blurred face appeared hovering over her. She blinked, willing the blurriness to go away as she was finally able to focus on Daniel's face. "Daniel?" she mumbled groggily.

He smiled down at her, and then turned as Janet walked into the room in answer to him hitting the call button when he'd noticed Sam was starting to wake. "Hey Sam," he said softly. "You're back at the SGC."

Sam blinked again as Janet appeared in her line of sight beside Daniel. "Janet?"

"Hi, Sam." The doctor smiled warmly at her, reaching out a hand to lightly brush some hair from Sam's forehead. "How are you feeling?"

Taking in a slow, deep breath, she squinted and quietly said, "Ugh, head's killing me."

Janet nodded. "I'll give you something for that. You have a concussion and a hairline fracture in your right ankle. Right now, you're wearing a soft splint and there's ice on it to keep the swelling down. How does it feel, any pain?"

Sam's eyebrows rose and she found herself smiling dopily. "Aside from my head, nope."

"Good," Janet said. That meant the painkillers were doing their job.

Brows furrowing slightly as she fought past the morphine-induced fog, Sam blinked in confusion. The one person she thought for sure would be there for her when she woke up wasn't in sight. _Maybe he just left the room for a minute_, she thought, trying to ease her immediate worries. "Jack? Where-? Did someone pick him up?"

"He's here." Daniel stepped out of the way and gestured to the bed behind him when Sam turned her head.

Sam's heart rate shot up and her eyes widened when she saw Jack curled up on the infirmary bed opposite her. "Jack!" She hastily struggled to sit up, hissing in pain and having to clench her eyes shut against the nausea and dizziness induced by the movement. "Daniel, what happened? Is he okay?"

"He's fine Sam; take it easy," Daniel said soothingly, trying and failing to get her to lie back down.

Janet stepped in with her own comforting words. "It's alright; he's just sedated. He got a little worked up when he found out you were hurt." She tactfully left out the part where Jack drove himself to the base, and hoped Sam wouldn't ask how he got there. She didn't need the added stress right now.

"Panic attack?" Sam groggily deduced, finally relaxing slightly against the pillows once more, though she reached for the button to raise the head of the bed.

"Yeah." Janet nodded. It had been a bad one too, but the doctor didn't think Sam needed to know just how bad right now.

Daniel talked to Sam quietly for a few minutes while Janet disappeared to get something for Sam's headache. When the doctor returned with some pills, her patient took them gratefully and her eyelids started to flutter.

"Sam, why don't you try and get some rest, okay?" Janet suggested cajolingly with a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder.

"How long was I out?" she asked, ignoring the instructions to rest for the moment.

"A little over an hour," Daniel told her with a tight smile. "You had a pretty good tumble down that hill." He grimaced as the image of her flying head-over-heels down the slippery embankment replayed in his mind.

"Yeah." Sam snorted, rolling her eyes. She blinked a few times in an attempt to keep her eyes open and looked around again. "Where's Teal'c? I remember him reaching out to try to grab me when I slipped. Did he fall, too?"

"No." Daniel smiled a little and shook his head. "Teal'c's fine. He's looking after Dorothy right now."

Nodding sleepily, Sam murmured, "Oh. Good." She shook her head suddenly and jerked herself awake again. "I want to be awake when Jack gets up," she said determinedly.

Janet heaved a soft sigh. "He'll probably be out of it for another hour or two. You just rest now Sam, that's an order," she said sternly.

Sam frowned. She knew this was a losing battle. "Okay. But wake me if he starts to get up."

"You got it." Janet agreed softly, patting her friend's leg as she drifted off to sleep. She turned to Daniel, moving toward the door, away from her two sleeping friends. "Why don't you find Teal'c and take up Dorothy watching duties for a little while so he can have a turn sitting with Jack and Sam?"

Daniel nodded and took Janet's hand briefly in his own, leaning in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

-

Sam woke up again less than forty-five minutes later. Her first thoughts were of Jack, and she slowly turned her head to see that he was still sleeping in the bed next to hers. Smiling with a soft sigh of relief, she sat up, much more careful this time so she wouldn't get dizzy. Taking a brief look around, Sam was even more relieved to see that she was alone. Neither Teal'c, Daniel, Janet, or any medical staff were hovering around, and she was silently grateful for that. Very gingerly, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, aware of the soft cast on her right ankle, and the ice pack that slipped off when she moved.

Carefully hopping to the chair in-between the two beds, Sam made sure her right foot didn't touch the ground as she scooted the chair closer to Jack's bed. Once there, she lightly touched her foot to the floor, testing how much pain she'd be in. Grateful when there was only a little amount of discomfort, probably due to the painkillers Janet had given her earlier, Sam let out a soft sigh of relief and reached out a hand to take one of Jack's in her own. He was curled up tightly on his side, facing her, his face all scrunched up and looking worried even in sleep. With her free hand, Sam gently ran her fingers through his hair.

It only took minutes for Sam's gentle ministrations to awaken him, and she smiled lovingly when dark pools of chocolate fluttered open to stare back at her. Her hand finished dancing along his scalp before she drew back to rest it in her lap. "Hey sleepyhead," she said softly, her bright blue eyes twinkling lovingly.

"Sam," he murmured breathily, blinking slowly as he looked back with an almost-vacant stare, confusion clear across his features as though he were trying to determine whether he was truly awake or not.

She continued to smile at him. "Janet said you got all worked up when Daniel tried to tell you what happened," Sam said softly, her hand moving back up again to lightly brush at the hair along Jack's brow.

Eyes suddenly widening as his memory flooded back, Jack jerked himself upright. The after-effects from the sedative hit him all at once as he sat up too fast, and the strong urge to vomit struck him while his head swam suddenly at the same time.

Sam leaned back, looking at him worriedly, quickly recognizing the expression on his face. "Going to be sick?"

Jack nodded quickly as Sam fumbled to produce a basin from the cabinet between the two beds. When she hastily thrust the pink bucket toward him, Jack leaned over and promptly lost the contents of his stomach.

With her ankle the way it was, Sam couldn't stand up, but she managed to scoot her chair just a little bit closer and was able to reach an arm behind Jack to rub his back.

When he stopped heaving, Jack breathed a sigh and glanced sideways over at Sam. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

She smiled gently at him, nodding slowly so as not to upset her aching head. "I'm alright. Concussion and fractured ankle. No big deal," she assured him. Sam nearly jumped out of her seat in surprise when she heard the click of heels enter the room.

"Sam, what are you doing out of bed?" came Janet's shocked, scolding voice behind her.

Both Sam and Jack glanced over at the doctor sheepishly. Luckily for Sam, Janet was distracted before she got the chance to answer.

Janet noticed Jack and the tray of vomit on his lap, and one of her nurses came over to remove it while the doctor went to get a smaller tray and a cup of water. Handing Jack the water, she held the tray out in front of him. "Rinse and spit."

Jack obeyed quickly, grateful to get the bitter taste of bile out of his mouth.

Janet raised the head of his bed and instructed him to lie back for a few minutes to make sure the nausea had passed. Crossing her arms, Janet then glared at Sam half-heartedly and helped her back to her own bed. Janet began checking her ankle methodically, and then with a satisfied nod to herself, removed the soft splint.

"Please say I don't need plaster," Sam pleaded hopefully with a grimace. Plaster casts were always itchy, bulky, and annoying.

Janet just smiled. "No, I'm going to give you a walking boot instead. But I still don't want you trying to put any weight on it for a few days, got it?"

"Crutches?" Sam guessed, making a face.

"Yep." Janet pulled a small orange container from her coat pocket and handed it to Sam. "Painkillers. Take one when you get home, then every four hours as needed. You should be able to take regular Tylenol for your head if these don't do the trick for that, too."

"Thanks." Sam smiled back gratefully before glancing over at Jack. He was watching her carefully, concern clear across his face. She sent him a reassuring look, her blue eyes twinkling gently. "So, this means I can go home, right?"

Nodding patiently, Janet then went over to Jack's bed, casually taking a blood pressure cuff from the wall and wrapping it around his upper right arm when he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He was giving her a look, but she ignored it. "I'm sure Daniel and Teal'c will give you guys a lift." Taking note of Jack's blood pressure, Janet frowned slightly.

"What?" both Jack and Sam asked at the exact same time.

Fraiser smiled tightly and removed the cuff from Jack's arm. "Jack, you're still a little hypertensive." She sighed softly, then looked at Sam. "Do you still have the Diazepam?"

Sam avoided looking at Jack and nodded.

"What?" Jack frowned, narrowing his eyes at the doctor. "I don't need any more pills," he grumped, crossing his arms.

Janet stared right back at him, her expression unwavering. "They're only for emergencies Jack. It's a very mild sedative. Now I want you to take one when you get home if you feel anxious or you can't relax. It'll help you further calm down so your blood pressure goes back to normal, okay?"

Jack kept his eyes narrowed and didn't say anything, a firm scowl on his face.

"Jack, please," Sam asked softly. His feet had started to tap up and down on the floor, fingers nervously twiddling where they sat at the edge of the bed. She knew he was still jittery and the pill would help him to relax.

Looking over at Sam, Jack released a soft sigh, but kept his mouth firmly shut. He would do anything for Sam, and she knew that. He especially didn't want her worrying about him because he felt like he should be the one taking care of her right now. She was the one with the concussion and broken ankle.

-

When Teal'c and Daniel both took their friends home, Teal'c following in Jack's truck, Sam found out that Jack had driven himself to the mountain. She wasn't happy, but she got over it before they arrived home. Sam was just relieved that he'd gotten there okay, and she understood that he'd just been worried about her.

Arriving home, Jack remained steadfast at Sam's side as she hobbled up the walk on her crutches, Dorothy trotting along behind them, with Teal'c and Daniel trailing after the dog. He opened the door for her and hovered at her side as they moved through the house, guiding her toward the couch. Jack grabbed some extra pillows when she gingerly sat down, setting them on the coffee table for her so Sam could rest her foot there.

"Thank you Jack," Sam said appreciatively, relaxing gratefully into the couch. She heaved a soft sigh before Teal'c and Daniel appeared in her line of vision next to Jack. "Thanks for giving us a lift home guys."

"No problem." Daniel smiled at her while Teal'c did his head bow thing. "Do either of you need anything before we go?"

"No, we're okay." Sam shook her head and smiled after Jack, who had already gone off to the kitchen to get her a glass of water and some Tylenol for her head.

"If you require anything, do not hesitate to phone us," Teal'c told her before he and Daniel turned to leave, setting Jack's truck keys on the coffee table first.

Sam smiled at them. "Bye guys."

Jack rose a hand in a lazy wave and slumped down on the couch beside Sam. His foot began tapping rhythmically against the floor while Dorothy sidled over and hopped up on the couch at Sam's other side. "Want s'more pillows? A blanket? Anything?" he asked, eager to take care of her and make sure she was alright.

Letting her head loll back against the couch, Sam glanced over at Jack. She could see he was still full of nervous energy, and reached out to put her hand on his bouncing leg. She smiled lovingly, and softly said, "Jack, relax. I'm okay."

He heaved a sigh and began tapping his fingers on the couch cushions. Jack noticed Dorothy cocking her head at him from Sam's other side, avoiding her urges to get him to calm down. "You hungry girl?"

Practically grinning, Dorothy hopped off the couch, eagerly wagging her tail.

Sam watched Jack as he headed for the kitchen to feed the dog. Reaching for the television remote, she turned it on and set the volume down low, relaxing into the cushions and tiredly closing her eyes.

Minutes later, her eyes were open again when she heard Jack come back into the living room. She lazily glanced over to him and smiled faintly as she watched him standing unsurely at the bottom of the lounge steps. She assumed Dorothy was still eating because the dog wasn't at his side. "Come over here," Sam called softly, waving him toward her.

Jack strode to her side quickly, sitting down slowly when she patted the couch cushion next to her. "How's your head? Do you need anything?"

She smiled warmly at his concern. "Still got a bit of a headache, but I'm alright. Just tired." When his leg started tapping again, Sam reached a hand over to lightly stroke the back of his neck before slowly moving her hand in a subtle attempt to check his pulse. She frowned slightly as his heartbeat thumped rapidly beneath her fingertips.

Jack pulled away when he realized what she was doing. "Stop." He frowned, still leaning away from her.

Sam sighed with exasperation, her eyes looking him over with concern. "You're still all wound up. Your pulse is racing." Her frown matched his own now. "I want you to take one of the sedatives from Janet. I put them in the cupboard with your other pills."

Huffing, Jack narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest. "I don't need it; I'm fine," he insisted.

"Jack, come on. Please, just take it and come sit down. You're all tense and it's making me nervous," she said pleadingly in a soft, coaxing voice. He wasn't really making Sam nervous, she just said that because she knew he'd be more likely to comply. It was a ruthless tactic, but she knew it would work and was too exhausted to get into an argument with him right now. "Please?"

"Okay, okay. Fine, I'll take it," he said softly, resignedly. Sighing with a groan, Jack got up off the couch and stomped off to the kitchen to retrieve the medication.

While taking the pills out of the cupboard, Jack noticed the opened microwave where his pizza from lunch was still sitting, obviously cold. He suddenly realized just how hungry he was, having skipped breakfast and forgetting about lunch when Daniel called him about Sam. Tossing the pizza in the trash and apologizing to Dorothy who was staring at him hopefully and wondering why he was throwing away perfectly good food instead of giving it to her, Jack spied the telephone dangling from it's cord on the wall. The annoying sound emanating from the ear piece prompted him to pick it up and set it back in it's cradle.

Getting a glass of water and taking the sedative with a look of disgust on his face, Jack bent down to pat Dorothy on the head and then moved to the cupboard, rummaging around for something to make for dinner.

Sam roused from a light doze almost an hour later when she heard Jack noisily come back into the room. She squinted to find him setting down dishes and silverware on the coffee table before dashing out of the room again to come back seconds later with two glasses of water. "Jack? What's this?" she asked somewhat drowsily.

He grinned proudly back at Sam and took a seat beside her on the couch, handing her a plate of pan-fried chicken, green beans, and salad so she didn't have to take her foot down from the coffee table. "I made dinner."

"This looks good. Thank you, Jack." She leaned toward him and he met her half-way for a kiss.

"No problem." He smiled back at her, then picked up his own plate and leaned back with the dish in his lap as he hungrily began to eat.

Sam noticed Jack was more at ease now, as she watched him while she ate, and she knew that he had taken the pill as she'd asked him to. He wasn't tapping his feet or hands, and wasn't pacing, so that was a good sign. She smiled at him without his knowledge, appreciative of the meal he'd prepared. He really was doing a good job taking care of her, and Sam was pleasantly surprised that he hadn't ordered take-out or just heated a frozen dinner.

-

Feeling a slight jarring, and the odd sensation that she was floating, Sam opened her eyes to discover that Jack was carrying her to their room. She was cradled in his arms like a baby, her head lolling against his shoulder. It seemed those painkillers she'd taken during supper had really done a number on her. "Jack?" she questioned in a soft, drowsy voice.

"You fell asleep after dinner," he told her quietly, entering their bedroom and being careful not to let her injured leg hit the doorframe. "I was trying not to wake you. Sorry." Jack craned his neck so he could kiss the top of her head, then gingerly set her down on the mattress.

"It's okay." Her voice was a sleepy murmur, and she automatically started to lay down and curl up on her side.

Jack chuckled and glanced down at Dorothy as she nudged against his leg and rested her chin on the bed, watching Sam with perked ears and curious amber eyes. He then helped the very sleepy Sam change into some pajamas and trade the walking boot for a soft ankle brace before allowing her to fully go back to sleep. Once he'd covered her up with the blanket, Jack changed into some pajama pants and a t-shirt, and actually remembered to take his own pills before crawling into bed beside Sam. He smiled when Dorothy hopped onto the bed and laid at their feet where she usually slept, however leaning more towards his feet rather than Sam's, as if knowing she was hurt. "Good girl," he murmured softly to the dog, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep within minutes.

He woke again sometime later from an insistent nudging against his shoulder. Opening bleary eyes, he groaned and squinted up at the shadowed form of Sam, sitting up, and hovering over him. His brows furrowed worriedly and he started to sit up. He noticed Dorothy sitting up at the foot of the bed, looking at the two of them curiously. "Sam? Hrm? What is it?" he asked sleepily.

"Jack, you need to take your pill," she mumbled, sounding like she wasn't fully awake.

He smiled comfortingly back at her and reached out a hand to cup the side of her face. She was always worried about him, reminding him about his medication and everything. "It's okay, sweetheart, I already did. I actually remembered for once," he told her softly.

"Oh. Sorry." She smiled faintly back at him and laid down again.

"S'okay." Jack laid down with her and pulled the blanket up over them, chuckling softly. He moved closer, mindful of her injured foot beneath the blankets. "Go back to sleep, Sam." Gently, he kissed her cheek and wrapped his arms around her.

Dorothy yawned loudly and resumed her position at the foot of the bed, satisfied that everything was well.

-

When morning came, Sam woke up to find the bed empty, but her crutches were lying close by against the night table, and she could smell coffee wafting in from the kitchen. Gingerly swinging her feet over the side of bed, she reached for her crutches and carefully hoisted herself up on one foot. After a quick trip to the bathroom, she hobbled off to the kitchen where the wonderful smells of breakfast were coming from.

She found Jack standing in front of the stove, flipping pancakes and then scooping scrambled eggs onto a big serving plate. Dorothy was sitting on the floor by his feet, looking hopeful that he might drop something for her. Sam smiled when Jack turned and grinned at her. "Hey," she greeted softly.

"Mornin'." He stopped what he was doing for a moment and strode toward Sam, giving her a sweet kiss on the lips. "How ya feelin'?"

"Okay." Sam smiled. "My ankle hurts a little, but my head's not bothering me."

"Good." Jack grinned back at her and turned to get Sam's pills that were by the sink. "Here."

Taking the capsules and the glass of water that was quickly thrust into her hands, Sam balanced herself on the crutches carefully and swallowed the pill. She then set the glass on the counter and shot Jack a pointed look while he turned off the stove and finished plating the rest of the food. "Speaking of medication...." she hobbled toward the table and took a seat, laying her crutches on the floor. "Have you taken your pills this morning?"

"Yes ma'am," Jack told her with an obedient grin as he brought the food and coffee to the table before sitting down.

Sam eyed the big breakfast in front of her hungrily. She glanced over at Jack and laughed softly. "If all it took to get you to cook for me all the time was a little broken ankle, I would've done this sooner!" she joked teasingly, laughing again when Jack shot her a shocked expression.

"Right." Jack snorted and bit into his stack of pancakes. "Enjoy it while you can," he teased right back with a devilish smirk. When Dorothy leaned into his leg, Jack slipped her a piece of pancake under the table.

Sam smiled at him again and continued eating. She was feeling a lot better today. Her ankle didn't hurt so much, and her headache wasn't doing anything at all for the moment. Always a good sign. She loved Jack for taking care of her. He was always so concerned with her well-being, and although she was sure to be annoyed with lots of mothering while she was out of work, Sam wouldn't have him any other way.

-

For a little while after breakfast, Sam, Jack, and Dorothy all lounged on the couch watching TV. Jack then went to take a quick shower, returning in a pair of faded jeans and a black Henley, holding a couple of towels under his arm so Sam could take her shower. Once she was refreshed and dressed in some sweats and a comfortable old sweater, Sam realized she was feeling pretty drowsy and decided to take a nap on the sofa.

Jack got Sam settled comfortably with a few pillows to prop up her foot, then he decided to take Dorothy outside with him for a little while so Sam could get to sleep without any noise.

Upon waking from her nap, Sam stretched carefully on the couch and yawned, gingerly swinging her feet to the floor as she sat up, reaching for her crutches. When she looked around and didn't spot Jack or Dorothy anywhere, Sam stood and began hobbling slowly toward the kitchen. Her eyes drifted around the empty room, and she rose a curious eyebrow while noticing an old towel tied to the handle of the cupboard beneath the sink, and another tied to the back door.

Making her way to the glass door that led outside to the deck, Sam saw Dorothy pulling at the door handle from outside, a towel tied to that end as well. Her eyes widened in surprise as the dog managed to open the door, but as her gaze drifted out toward the lawn, Sam felt her heart leap into her throat. She saw Jack lying in the grass with his head in his hands. "Jack!" Sam gasped worriedly as Dorothy stopped in front of her, gazing up curiously, tail swishing sedately behind her.

Jack suddenly snapped to an upright position, and upon seeing Sam staring at him with concern, scrambled to stand up. "Sam!"

"Are you okay?" she asked, her heart still beating rapidly in her chest as Jack strode toward, jogging up the porch steps to meet her. "What on Earth are you doing?"

"I'm fine." He smiled somewhat sheepishly, his hands at her elbows. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I wasn't expecting you to be awake yet." Jack shoved one hand deep into the pocket of his jeans and waved his other at Dorothy. "I was just working on training Dorothy. She can open the door now." He grinned proudly, pulling a dog treat from his pocket and tossing it to the eager German Shepherd.

"Okay..." Sam said slowly, still looking a little surprised and confused.

Jack led her back inside the house gently and sat her down at the kitchen table. "I'm tryin' to teach her how to help if anything happens. I figure she always seems to know when something's wrong with me, so I thought she might be able to do something about it."

Sam's eyebrows rose in interest. She'd noticed Dorothy's uncanny ability to sense when Jack was in trouble, too. "How can she help?" she asked him curiously, wondering what exactly Jack had been training her to do.

"Watch." He grinned, then got Dorothy's attention and held his hands to his head, as though he was having one of his headaches.

Sam studied the dog as she cocked her head, letting out a short yip before trotting over to the kitchen sink. She tugged at the towel tied to the handle with her teeth, then yanked the door open and stuck her head inside the cupboard. Sam's mouth dropped open in amazement when Dorothy pulled out a black, nylon carry bag and quickly brought it over to Jack, nudging it into his hand.

"Good girl." Jack grinned, patted Dorothy on the head, then pulled another treat out of his pocket and tossed it to her. "See? She can bring me my pills. I put 'em in the bag and moved them under the sink so she could reach."

"Wow." Sam smiled, then looked at Jack again. "How long have you been working on this with her?"

He sent her a lopsided grin. "Just a couple hours. But I've been thinking about doing it for a while now." Jack reached out to scratch the dog behind her ears. Her tail wagged appreciatively. "She's really smart."

"What brought this on?" Sam asked him curiously.

Jack just shrugged and nonchalantly said, "Boredom."

Sam's brows furrowed briefly before she quickly masked her concern with a smile. She could tell that there was more reason for him to start training Dorothy like this, something he didn't want her to know. But she already knew. Sam guessed that he was worried about having any one of his episodes when no one was around. So far, in the past year, he'd had four severe headaches and two seizures. The first seizure had happened pretty early on, and afterwards Janet prescribed him with the anti-convulsants to manage them, and he had only had one other one since. But the headaches were something else. The extremely bad ones were frighteningly debilitating to the point where Jack would collapse and barely be able to move. Sam knew those were the ones that scared him the most, even if he'd never admit it.

The next training session with Dorothy would have her fetching Sam to help him if she was around. Jack explained this to her, and Sam was pleased and willing to play a part in the training. "We can work on that later, though. I think Dorothy deserves some play time." Jack suggested with a grin.

"Yeah, she's earned it." Sam smiled and ruffled the dog's fur, praising her for her efforts in training. She had to admit that it made her feel better knowing Dorothy could actually do something for Jack if he needed help and she couldn't be there.

"It's pretty nice out. Wanna come sit on the deck?"

"Sure." Sam agreed with a nod.

Jack went to grab some pillows and a blanket for Sam while she put on a shoe and hobbled out to the back deck. When he went outside, he got her settled in one of the wooden chairs with her injured foot propped up on another chair with the pillows. He helped her put her walking boot on and gently draped a blanket over her. "Comfy?"

"Mm-hm." She nodded with an adoring smile. "Thanks Jack."

"No problem." Jack leaned over and gave Sam a long, loving kiss before Dorothy nudged impatiently at his leg with a tennis ball in her mouth. He chuckled and stepped back, hands on his hips while he stared down at the dog. "Okay girl, okay. Let's play."

Sam laughed and watched Jack jog down the steps with an eager Dorothy rushing out ahead of him and wagging her tail.

-


	5. Stir Crazy

**Chapter Five: Stir Crazy**

Since Sam couldn't drive with her broken ankle, and Jack wasn't allowed to drive, the two of them were going out of their minds with boredom for the next two days. Jack spent a lot of time training Dorothy, but even so, he was looking for something else to do.

Finally on Thursday afternoon, Teal'c, Daniel, Janet, and Cassie came by with a couple of pizzas and some movies. It had been raining all day and it was making Sam and Jack's boredom so much worse because they couldn't even go outside. So when their friends finally arrived, the pair was extremely grateful for a distraction from their all-consuming boredom. Even Dorothy seemed happier to see some company.

After eating, watching a few movies, and playing a game of poker and Pictionary, Jack noticed that Sam looked like she was getting pretty tired and helped her to bed. When he returned to the lounge, his friends were all cleaning up the pizza boxes and paper plates. "You don't gotta do that guys, I'll clean up," he insisted.

"We helped make the mess, so we'll help clean up," Cassie said, flashing him a smile and shoving some trash in a bag.

"Thanks." Jack flashed them all a grin and went to grab some spray cleaner and paper towels to wipe off the coffee table.

Teal'c picked up the empty beer bottles, none of which were Jack's. O'Neill was still drinking his, and had told Teal'c that it was his last beer of the week and he was savoring it. The Jaffa had smiled at that.

When everyone was leaving, Janet stood in the doorway, talking to Jack for a moment while Daniel, Cassie, and Teal'c got in the car. "Tell Sam that I want to see her first thing Monday morning, okay? I might be able to clear her for light duty then."

Jack nodded with an appreciative smile. "Will do. I bet she'll be glad to get back to work. Sam's gettin' pretty crazy stuck here with no work to do. I think she's experiencing separation anxiety from her doohickeys," he joked.

Janet laughed softly, then hugged Jack and stood on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Bye Jack, take good care of her."

"I will," he said confidently, closing the door behind the doctor as she left. He turned to Dorothy, standing beside him and wagging her tail. Jack smiled down at the dog and patted her on the head.

-

Spending nearly all of Saturday in his office doing research and studying artifacts, Daniel finally had some human contact in the form of Janet around three in the afternoon. He looked up as she poked her head in his office.

"What are you still doing here?" she asked, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorframe.

Daniel smiled sheepishly and nudged the slipping glasses up the bridge of his nose. He shrugged, closing one of his books. "Sorry, I got caught up in all....this." The archaeologist gestured around the many books, papers, and small artifacts cluttering his desk.

Janet smiled and strode toward him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "You've been here all day, Daniel. Come on, it's time to get out of the mountain for awhile." She tugged on his arm, affectionately.

He heaved a sigh, knowing he was not going to win this argument. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Go visit Jack and Sam," Janet suggested, bending down to kiss Daniel's cheek. "Bring Sam her laptop and some papers to look over. I'm sure she'll appreciate that."

The archaeologist nodded, smiling at Janet and getting to his feet. "Yeah, I bet." He gave her a quick kiss, then headed out.

"I'll see you at home," Janet called after him softly.

When Daniel got to Jack's house, he was greeted by Sam standing in the doorway with her crutches, right ankle in the walking boot. "Hey," he said with a half-smile, adjusting the laptop bag on his shoulder. He was surprised that Jack hadn't gotten up to get the door for her. His friend had been hovering closely around Sam, doing whatever he could for her since she'd left the infirmary. Daniel was also a bit surprised not to be greeted by a barking dog.

Sam spotted the familiar bag Daniel was carrying and her eyes widened. "Please tell me that's my work laptop and you've brought me fun things to look at?"

"It is." Daniel laughed softly. "And I did."

Hobbling backwards so Daniel could come in, Sam then turned and made her way down into the lounge.

Following her, Daniel set the laptop bag down on the coffee table and sat in the armchair while Sam took the couch. He looked around with furrowed brows. "Where's Jack and his shadow?" He suspected maybe they were in the backyard, or out for a walk.

Sam twisted around on the couch before turning back to Daniel and sending him a faint smile. "They're both in the bedroom taking a nap."

Daniel smiled a little and shook his head. "Ah, so I see he's really taking care of you, huh?" he joked sarcastically.

"Oh, don't say that," Sam told him with a short laugh. "I've had Jack cleaning for me all day. I had to keep him busy and out of my hair a little bit. He wouldn't stop fluffing my pillows and asking if I was comfortable."

Nodding with understanding, Daniel smiled again, laughing. "That figures." Suddenly remembering something he'd meant to tell her, Daniel reached for the laptop bag on the coffee table and flipped it open, pulling out a disc from one of the pockets. "Oh, I uploaded a bunch of papers and stuff to get you up to date on what new technology we've been working with recently." He handed it to her. "Here."

"Thanks Daniel," Sam told him, smiling as she took the disc. "I really appreciate this. I've been going stir crazy here."

"I bet."

Sam and Daniel chatted aimlessly for a while over coffee. Daniel talked about work and the latest projects that he'd uploaded on the disc he made for her, and Sam told Daniel about all the training Jack had been doing with Dorothy.

Daniel was looking things over with Sam on her laptop when a sleepy looking Jack shuffled into the room, Dorothy loping along at his side, wagging her tail and looking alert.

"Hey Sleeping Beauty," Daniel teased his friend with a smile.

"Danny." Jack yawned and ruffled his hair that was already sticking up in every direction. He straightened his t-shirt and shuffled over to Sam, plopping down on the couch beside her when Daniel vacated the seat and moved back to the armchair.

Daniel ruffled Dorothy's fur as she came over to greet him. "Hey pup." He smiled, even as she leaned up with her big paws on his knees and licked his glasses.

Jack chuckled. "Alright, stop assaulting Daniel now, girl. Get down," he commanded gently, waving the German Shepherd over when she turned to look at him. He leaned back against the couch and yawned loudly as Dorothy laid down under the coffee table in front of his and Sam's feet.

"You okay?" Sam asked with slightly-furrowed brows. He seemed beyond just post-nap sleepy, and she realized that he'd been pretty lethargic all day.

"Yeah," he claimed. Jack yawned again and shrugged. "It's the pills," he explained dismissively.

Sam slowly nodded in acceptance. She knew that the anti-seizure medication Jack was on could have sedative-like effects, but they'd never made him this tired before.

"Hey, how's the ankle? You need anything?" he asked, deflecting attention from himself when he noticed Daniel looking at him as well.

Sam smiled at him. "It's a little sore, but I'm okay." When Jack opened his mouth to say something, she held up a hand and quickly interrupted him. "And yes, I already took the painkillers."

Jack chuckled and nodded. He glanced over at his friend, who was still trying to get the slobber marks off the lenses of his glasses. "So, what brings you by this evenin' Danny?"

The archaeologist stuck his glasses back on his face, squinted through the lenses and looked over at Jack with a smile. "Just thought I'd stop by to bring Sam something to work on. I've been busy at the base all day and Janet kinda kicked me out." Daniel ducked his head sheepishly.

Jack and Sam both laughed. That sounded like Janet alright.

Daniel shrugged. "She suggested that I come visit you guys."

Sam laughed, then said, "Well, are you hungry? You can stay for dinner if you like."

Blinking, Jack glanced at his watch and noticed the time. He hadn't realized he'd slept so long. It was now after five. Not wanting Sam to trouble herself, Jack stood and waved a hand toward the kitchen. "Want me to make something?"

Smiling at him, Sam shook her head and placed a hand on Jack's leg. She appreciated the offer, but knew that his cooking skills were limited, and the food he'd made for her the other night was about as much as he could do, if you didn't count anything done on the grill, or boiling pasta. "No, it's okay. Let's just order take out."

Jack turned to Daniel. "So, you gonna stay or what?"

Daniel shook his head apologetically. "Thanks for the offer, but it's my turn to cook tonight before Janet gets back from work, and Cassie's probably waiting at home." He smiled at them and stood.

"Okay then. Bye Daniel. And thank you." Sam nodded at him as he started up the steps.

"We'll see you later, Danny." Jack walked with him to the door and saw him out, Dorothy tailing on his heels.

-

While waiting for their Chinese to be delivered, Jack went outside to play catch with Dorothy for a little while. The dog was getting restless and he figured she was longing for some exercise. They hadn't gone for any walks lately because Jack didn't want to leave Sam alone. He knew he owed the dog.

Sam fiddled with the research on her laptop, going over the work Daniel had brought her while Jack was outside with Dorothy.

Jack picked up the tennis ball Dorothy dropped at his feet and tossed it across the yard. He grinned as she raced after the ball and quickly returned it to him. Throwing the ball again, Jack looked down at the dog in confusion when she didn't go after it. "What's the matter girl, you don't wanna play anymore?"

Dorothy started whining and began tugging on the sleeve of Jack's shirt with her teeth, trying to pull him in the direction of the house.

He tried to tug his arm away gently, but she wouldn't let go. "Dorothy, what's-" Jack suddenly felt the onslaught of nausea and his eyes widened as he staggered over to the bushes.

The German Shepherd released his shirt and loped after him as he hunched over with his hands on his knees, retching into the undergrowth. She whined empathetically at his side and nudged his leg with her big furry head, as though in an effort to comfort him.

When he'd finished vomiting, Jack swiped his shirt sleeve across his mouth and groaned, stumbling backwards and sitting down on the grass. When Dorothy stood there, leaning against him and whining softly, Jack put a hand on her back and used the dog to help him get to his feet. She remained steady at his side, and he knew she wasn't sure what to do. They hadn't really worked on a scenario like this in training. Jack knew there was nothing Dorothy could really do when he got sick like this. He was going to throw up no matter what pills were brought to him. Just having the dog there helped, though.

"Thanks, girl." Taking a steady breath, Jack patted Dorothy's back and headed inside.

Moving quietly through the kitchen, Jack slipped into the bathroom before Sam could notice him. She was still in the lounge, busy with her laptop. He didn't want her to know what happened. Turning on the faucet, Jack quickly washed his face and brushed his teeth to get the stink and taste of vomit out of his mouth. He rinsed with mouth wash and then quickly went to the front door when there was a knock. Dorothy barked loudly. Their food was here.

Jack paid for the Chinese and met Sam in the living room, spreading everything out on the coffee table as she moved her laptop. When he sat down and dug out the plastic forks, handing one to Sam, he realized she was looking at him curiously. "What?" he asked innocently, a disarming grin on his face.

"You smell like Listerine." Her brows furrowed worriedly. She knew what he was trying to hide from her, but she didn't know why he was hiding it. When he tried to turn away and shake his head to deny her, Sam knowingly said, "You got sick, didn't you?"

He just shrugged nonchalantly and began picking through his Pork Lo Mein, the thought of eating right now turning his stomach just a bit. Using Dorothy as a distraction, he picked out a few pieces of pork and gave them to her.

"Why were you trying to hide it from me?" She asked him softly, straightening where she sat and gingerly moving her brace-covered foot to the floor.

Sighing, Jack shrugged again, his brows knitting together. He wouldn't look at her.

Something flashed across his face before he turned away, and it took a second for Sam to recognize the emotion. She scooted closer to him on the couch and smiled gently. "It's okay Jack. You don't need to be embarrassed."

He frowned and heaved another sigh. But he _was _embarrassed, no matter how reassuring she could be, or how understanding.

Sam understood without him saying anything. She knew he hated every little reminder of his weaknesses, and that it bothered him more than he could ever say. Without another word, she reached over to the coffee table and opened up one of the take out cartons. "Let's just eat."

Jack made a face. With his stomach still feeling a little queasy, he picked through the food, giving bits and pieces to Dorothy, who was happy to gobble up whatever he didn't plan on eating himself.

Sam had noticed that Jack wasn't really eating anything, but she kept herself from saying anything. Instead, she continued chowing down her own food and started up casual conversation with him in distraction.

Once Sam was finished eating, and had realized he wasn't going to eat anymore, she got up, carefully balancing mostly on one leg, and took the take-out carton off his lap. "You don't have to finish," she told him with a small smile.

Snapping to his feet quickly, as though he'd been in a daze, Jack took both cartons from her and urged Sam to sit back down. "It's okay, I got it." Smiling briefly at her, Jack went off to the kitchen with their leftovers, Dorothy getting up and quickly following him, hoping to get some scraps.

-

As they lay in bed together that night, Jack curled his body comfortingly around Sam's, his face pressed into the crook of her neck. The bit of stubble on his chin that had grown during the day tickled her, and she shuddered briefly with a quiet giggle as his face moved against her neck. "Stop fidgeting, you're tickling me," she teased softly, laughing.

"Sorry." He chuckled into the crook of her neck and apologized again when the further movement caused her to giggle even more. Jack pulled back and tilted his chin downwards so that just his forehead now rested against the back of her neck. "Better?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded, smiling as she felt his arms tighten around her. She could feel Dorothy wiggling around at the end of the mattress by their feet, seeming to make an effort not to lean up against her injured foot. Having the dog there made her feel comfortable and safe, almost as safe as she felt just being with Jack.

-

Waking early the next morning, Jack slid out from under the covers without disturbing Sam, then went to the bathroom before shuffling out to the back door with Dorothy on his heels. The German Shepherd licked his hand, eager to go outside, and then dashed out on the back deck when Jack unlocked and opened the door. He followed her out there, bare feet padding softly on the cold wood.

When Dorothy went about her business and then decided she wanted to sniff around the yard a while longer, Jack turned to go inside; he was starting to get cold in just his sweats and an old t-shirt. He took his pills, then started the coffeemaker as he waited for Sam to wake up.

Seeing Dorothy now waiting patiently at the door to the back deck, Jack let her inside and then made his way to the table. He patted the dog on the head when she came over to him and rested her head on his knee. Grinning, he scratched her behind the ears and noticed her rapidly wagging tail. "Hey girl, wanna do some trainin'?"

Dorothy stared back at him with warm, amber eyes, her tail continuing to wag happily.

"Okay, let's do it." Jack got up from his seat again, and got an impish look on his face. "Let's practice having you fetch Sam for me, eh girl?"

Sitting down patiently and awaiting a command, Dorothy focused all her attention on her master.

Using the hand signals he'd been teaching her, as well as his voice, Jack tapped twice at his chest, then waved a hand, gesturing away from himself as he said, "Dorothy, get Sam."

The German Shepherd seemed to smile at him attentively before standing and trotting off for the bedroom.

A minute later Jack heard Sam's sleepy voice down the hall.

_"Dorothy, let go..." _As realization set in, and she apparently became more awake, Sam worriedly called out, "Jack?"

"I'm fine," he answered back instantly, striding for the bedroom. "Just doing some training." He appeared in the doorway, grinning. "Mornin'."

Sam rolled her eyes and frowned at him before a yawn took over. Her short blonde hair was sticking up all over the place. Gaze swinging toward the clock as she scooted toward the edge of the bed, she turned her attention back to Jack and frowned again. "It's early."

"Yeah. Sorry." He grimaced and shrugged, rubbing at the back of his neck. Jack went over to her and sat beside her on the bed, looking down at her injured foot that was dangling off the mattress, hovering just above the floor. "How's your ankle?"

Examining her ankle by shifting her foot slightly, she shrugged. "Not bad."

"Want your pills?"

Sam shook her head stubbornly and smiled at him. "Nope." When Jack rose his eyebrows she gave him a silencing look, then reached for her crutches and got to her feet when he handed them to her. "I want coffee." She breathed in deeply, able to smell the intoxicating aroma from the kitchen.

"Okay, okay," Jack relented, knowing that if she really was in need of her pain medication, she'd take them. She was stubborn in her own right, but usually not as bad as him. He stood there, staring at her for a moment with a ridiculous grin on his face before she spoke up impatiently.

"Jack. Coffee. Now."

He snorted and chuckled, quickly getting out of her way. "Yes ma'am!"

Dorothy wagged her tail and trotted out into the hall ahead of them.

Jack whipped up some scrambled eggs with cheese, handing Sam a plate as he sat across from her at the table. He grinned as he watched her eagerly suck down her coffee. "Hey, lucky for you, Doc's probably gonna let you on light duties tomorrow."

Sam smiled, setting down her coffee so she could eat some eggs. "I can't wait. I'm going nuts just sitting around and doing nothing."

"Hey, you're not doing nothing! Daniel brought you stuff yesterday!" Jack exclaimed.

She pouted. "But I've finished with it already."

He rolled his eyes. When she looked at him again, a smug grin spread across his face, and his eyebrows went up and down suggestively. "I can find ways to keep you busy." Jack smirked.

Sam laughed, then sent him a saucy smile. She put her fork down and leaned against the table. "Oh really?"

Dorothy's ears twitched, her nose on the edge of the table, sniffing out Sam's scrambled eggs.

"Yep." His eye were fixed hungrily on her lips. "If you're feeling up to it."

For a second, Sam glanced down at her booted foot, then her eyes settled back on Jack, smiling at the predatory look he was giving her. "I'm up to it." She shrieked with laughter as Jack suddenly leapt out of his seat, scooping her into his arms and bounding toward the bedroom.

"Wait! I want a shower first!" she exclaimed indignantly.

Jack chuckled and kept going. Dorothy was chasing after them, barking like it was all a fun game. "That can be arranged!"

-


	6. Business as Usual

**Chapter Six: Business as Usual**

On Monday, Sam went to see Janet and was put on light duties after a brief examination. Sam also mentioned that Jack's seizure medication seemed to be making him more tired than usual lately, and Janet was able to put him on new pills with a lower dosage that didn't have such a sedative effect. Two more weeks and some physical therapy later, and Sam was able to return to her regular duties. Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c were scheduled for a first contact mission, and Hammond kept Jack busy helping Colonel Reynolds teaching a hand-to-hand combat class on base the day SG-1 was set to leave.

Jack didn't have Dorothy around because he knew he'd be busy, but that didn't mean he was happy about leaving her at home. Taking a break from the last training session, he sat in the commissary with a slice of cake, feeling a little lonely with neither Sam nor Dorothy around. He couldn't even count on Teal'c or Daniel to keep him company, because they were both off-world with Sam.

Finishing off his cake, Jack was heading back to the training room when he ran into Hammond. "Sir," he said out of habit, straightening his posture.

The General didn't bother correcting him. He smiled tightly at the younger man that he'd come to care for as if he were his own son. "We just received a transmission from SG-1; I thought you'd like to know."

Jack nodded eagerly and stepped to the side so that they weren't blocking the corridor. He looked into George Hammond's wise grey-blue eyes seriously, calmed by the fact that the General didn't look tense at all. "What's up, General?"

"The team's just going to be returning later than scheduled. The first contact has gone very well, and Dr. Jackson is working on developing a trust with the people of P2A-163. They've been invited to stay for several more hours so they can tour some of the larger facilities within the city. According to Major Carter and Dr. Jackson, they've got quite a remarkable power source that keeps the entire city going."

A brief, prideful smile quirked Jack's lips.

"I've extended SG-1's time on the planet a while longer. They're due back tomorrow afternoon." Hammond gauged Jack's expression carefully. "Would you like me to arrange for someone to give you a ride home, son?"

Jack's brows twitched briefly. "I'd like to stay here on base sir, but if someone could take me home to pick up Dorothy?"

George smiled and nodded. "Of course." He'd grown quite fond of the Shepherd himself. She was always loyally shadowing Jack whenever she was on base, and rarely caused any kind of trouble.

"Thank you, sir." Jack grinned and stepped aside, making room for the General to continue on his way.

-

With Dorothy on base with him, Jack felt a little more relaxed. He'd finished the training sessions with Reynolds, and was wandering around with the dog on his heels as he looked for something to do. Before he realized what he was doing, Jack found himself heading toward Sam's lab. He smiled to himself as he reached the locked door and realized what he'd done. Shaking his head, he shrugged and quirked a grin at Dorothy, patting her on the head. "Sorry 'bout that girl. Guess I forgot that Sam's not here."

Dorothy wagged her tail happily, her amber eyes gleaming at him as she looked up, patiently waiting to see where they'd be going next.

Checking the time, Jack decided to head to the commissary for a little late night snack before retiring to his quarters and going to bed. The sooner he went to sleep, the sooner Sam would be coming home.

After having his snack, which consisted of a slice of lemon cream cake and some decaf coffee, Jack took Dorothy topside for one last romp before going to his quarters and preparing to climb into bed. After changing into some sweats and a t-shirt, Jack went to pull back the bed covers and noticed a piece of paper on Sam's side of the bed. Picking it up, Jack read the note with Sam's signature neat handwriting and smiled. He knew she'd left it in case she didn't finish the mission in time. Sam was thoughtful that way, and he couldn't help smile.

_ Jack,_

_ Don't forget to take your pill. _

_ Love always,_

_ Sam. xoxo_

He patted the mattress for Dorothy to hop up, then went into the private bathroom where he kept his extra set of pills on base (which Janet insisted). When he finally crawled in bed, Jack smiled contently as Dorothy snuggled up against his back. Having her there relaxed him, and he felt as though the dog knew she was being a temporary replacement for Sam while she was away.

-

Far away, on a distant planet, Sam was readying herself for bed. She, Daniel, and Teal'c had been invited into one of the natives' large homes, and although the building had multiple bedrooms, the team had decided on sharing for safety reasons. Although everything was going very well, and the people had shown they were kind and trustworthy, the team still had to take precautions. Having just completed her watch, Sam curled up in one of the two beds in the room. Daniel was occupying the other while Teal'c took his watch, perched on a large pillow in a lounge area of the enormous bedroom.

Sam felt as though she were a guest in a ritzy hotel. As she hugged a large pillow to her, an admittedly poor substitute for Jack, Sam closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep. It wasn't easy. She was used to snuggling up in bed with Jack, and having Dorothy curled up at their feet. The bed seemed far too empty.

-

Jack stood in the control room by the window, impatiently awaiting SG-1's return. Dorothy was sitting at his feet, the perfect model of a well-behaved dog. He reached down to pat her head reassuringly as the gate began to activate and Sergeant Harriman announced, "Incoming traveler."

He smiled as SG-1 emerged from the wormhole and headed down the ramp, handing off their weapons to the technicians. Sam looked up and waved at him, and he sent her a wink in return before leaving the control room with Dorothy to meet her.

"Welcome back, kids," Jack greeted all of his former team before pulling Sam into a brief, but warm hug.

Sam smiled at him when he grinned at her widely, then bent to pet an enthusiastic Dorothy, who was nearly hopping up and down with her excitement. "Easy girl," Sam told her with a laugh.

"I think the dog missed you more than Jack did," Daniel teased.

Jack sent the archaeologist a mock-threatening look.

Daniel simply brushed it off and pushed past his friend, Teal'c following behind for their standard post-mission checks. Nothing could spoil Jackson's mood because he was just so thrilled about the trust they'd started with the natives, and was excited to be able to visit again to learn more about their culture.

Sam was similarly pleased to be given a chance to further study their power source. She'd already brought back samples of the fuel the people used.

Teal'c just seemed indifferent about the entire thing, like usual.

"How'd the training sessions go yesterday?" Sam asked Jack as they walked together toward the infirmary.

"Pretty good." Jack shrugged. "I didn't make nearly as many recruits cry as I'd originally thought." He grinned wryly, tilting his head.

Sam just laughed and rolled her eyes.

-

While SG-1 was headed for their mission briefing with General Hammond, Jack got a message from one of the SFs that Colonel Dixon was looking for him. On his way to Dixon's office, Dorothy had started to whine and pace, needing to go outside. Fortunately, Jack was able to grab hold of a passing Siler, and the Sergeant graciously took the dog topside for him.

"Hey Dave, what's up?" Jack asked as he stepped into the Colonel's office and leaned against the doorframe. "You were lookin' for me?"

"Oh, yeah, Jack. Hey." Dixon shuffled some papers on his desk and put them aside in a rather messy pile. "I want to know if you'd be interested in helping me with a team exercise I've got planned off-world for next week. It's kinda like a 'capture the flag' thing I ran by Hammond a few days ago. Mostly, it's a bonding exercise for the newly formed teams."

Jack smirked. "Sounds cool. Hell yeah, I'm interested!"

Dixon chuckled. "Thought you might be." He shuffled more papers and threw some errant pens into the holder on the corner of his desk. "Well, we'll discuss the details later in the week. I just wanted to run it by you now to see if you'd wanna take part."

"Sweet." Jack nodded, an excited, boyish grin on his face. "Thanks Dave. I'll talk to you later then." He turned to go.

Colonel Dixon waved after him. "Alright, I'll catch you later Jack."

Figuring Sam would be going to one of the research labs after the debriefing to check out the fuel she'd brought from off-world, Jack got in the elevator and then strolled along toward the corridors leading to the science department to wait for her there.

Jack could hear some of the scientists chattering loudly as he passed one of the rooms, and seconds later there was an explosive bang that reverberated off the cement walls, followed by an electric pop and fizzle. The sound triggered a long-since buried memory, and a familiar pain was working its way into his head. He gasped at the explosive agony and grabbed at his head, his shoulder hitting the wall as he staggered and tried to steady himself. Jack's eyes were clenched shut as the memory assaulted him along with the debilitating pain.

_He was back on the planet where his accident took place. He'd just finished checking up on the scientists and was striding away from their tent to pick through the MREs when it happened. The explosion was loud, and preceded by a sharp, loud sizzle of energy. There were screams of shock and agony. He'd barely begun to jerk around in surprise when it hit him. Fire burned along his side a split second before something struck him upside the head with so much force that it knocked him off his feet. There was a sharp pain, then blackness._

-

Janet was walking down the hallway when she saw Jack, and it was frighteningly obvious that something was wrong. He jerked against the wall before collapsing to the floor like something had struck him. "Jack!" she cried, gasping and hurrying over to him, her heels clip-clapping loudly against the cement floor as she neared.

His entire body was rigid and shaking, and he was breathing in fast, gasping breaths, clutching at his head as he curled on his side. It almost sounded like he was having a panic attack, but she knew he wasn't. Janet could tell that it was a headache simply because he seemed unable to move, and he was holding his head. She was surprised; he hadn't had an episode like this in a long time, and it looked like a bad one. Something else was wrong, though, she realized as she neared him; it wasn't simply the headache. The former Colonel appeared to be displaced and not in the moment.

"Jack?" Janet touched his shoulder, worried when he didn't respond.

Dr. Lee and another scientist emerged from the nearby lab upon hearing Janet's worried shout. The two ran over quickly when they noticed the stricken former Colonel. "Dr. Fraiser!"

Janet turned to glance at the two men, frantically. "Call the infirmary and have them send two orderlies and a gurney, pronto!"

The other scientist nodded vigorously and hurried back to the lab.

"Did something happen?" Janet immediately asked Dr. Lee when he knelt down near Jack, looking concerned.

"No. Well, I mean...nothing really dangerous." Dr. Lee fumbled nervously. "We just completed a controlled explosion of an alien compound in a sealed container. It was perfectly safe! One of the machines monitoring the energy output simply short-circuited. There was no debris of any kind, it was contained!" he rattled off anxiously.

Janet frowned in consternation and put a comforting hand on Jack's knee, letting out a relieved breath when his body suddenly relaxed. His breathing slowed, but was still heavy, and his hands were still holding onto his head. He still seemed rather shaken, and she absently wondered if he'd had a flashback of some kind. Janet was concerned that the flashback had triggered his headache, or the other way around. "Jack? Jack, it's Janet; are you with me?"

Her answer was a somewhat-focused stare.

"Jack, I don't want to leave you to go get your pills," Janet told him in a soft, sympathetic voice. She knew the longer they waited, the worse it would be. "You need to come to the infirmary. Do you think you can stand up?"

He groaned, grunted, and gave a barely-perceptible nod. Jack sat up slowly and was already trying to force his legs under him and push himself up.

Dr. Lee helped Janet get him vertical again before she dismissed the scientist with a quiet thanks. Focusing on Jack, she gingerly rubbed his back, frowning at the sight of raw pain on his twisted face.

The orderlies soon arrived, and Janet helped them get Jack settled on the gurney before they wheeled him off to the infirmary. She stayed there with Jack, sitting on the edge of the bed and rubbing his leg soothingly. Together they waited for an orderly to come back with Jack's medication from his private quarters.

O'Neill tossed his head back against the pillows in agony as another nauseating wave of pain spiked through his skull.

"Do you want me to get Sam?" Janet asked him with concern as she watched his fists clench into the bed sheets, eyes firmly clamped shut.

"Nn...no," he grunted weakly through gritted teeth, dragging in a deep breath. "Briefing..." Jack knew Sam expected him to tell her about things like this, but that would have to wait. He didn't want to interrupt in the middle of an important mission debriefing, knowing their personal lives shouldn't interfere with work.

Janet nodded with understanding. That's right, she remembered, Daniel had left the infirmary after his post-mission check and said he was heading straight to the debriefing. He'd been so excited about the planet they'd just returned from.

When her orderly finally brought Jack's medication, Janet quickly took out the proper pills and gave them to her patient with a cup of water. She sat with him and held his hand while he waited for the drugs to kick in and tried to relax.

When Jack finally lost his battle with consciousness, Janet adjusted the bed controls so he was reclined, instead of straight up. She draped a light blanket over him and tugged off his boots, then gently brushed a hand through his hair and went to the phone in her office.

-

Sam was just leaving the briefing room when she was approached by Siler and a worried-looking Dorothy. She wasn't sure how a dog could look worried, but Sam didn't know how else to describe what she saw in Dorothy's wise amber eyes as anything but. Her brows furrowed as the dog trotted over to her, eager to be pet. Sam obliged, and directed her questioning gaze toward Siler. "Where's Jack?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing, ma'am," the Sergeant said, looking down at the dog that now pressed herself against Sam's leg. "About thirty minutes ago he told me he had to meet with Colonel Dixon and asked if I could bring the dog to the surface to uh...do her business." He shrugged. "I haven't seen him since, and he's not with Dixon anymore, either, ma'am." Siler waved a hand at Dorothy. "Would you mind taking her, Major Carter? I'm needed in the MALP room."

"Oh. Of course. Thank you Siler," Sam smiled apologetically at him. "And I'm sorry about this."

He sent her a friendly smile back. "It's no problem, ma'am."

Now a little disconcerted, knowing Jack would never intentionally leave Dorothy with anyone for very long if he was able to take her himself, Sam glanced down at the dog and ruffled her fur to comfort herself. "Come on girl, let's go find Jack."

Hearing her most favorite human's name after a familiar-sounding command, the German Shepherd's ears perked up immediately and her tail wagged. She barked once, then happily took off in search of her master.

"Dorothy!" Sam called after the dog, already taking chase. "Dorothy, get back here!" she hissed, jogging down the corridors after her. "That wasn't a command! Dorothy!"

Sam chased Dorothy to her and Jack's private quarters, then to Colonel Dixon's office, down past the science labs, and then finally into the infirmary. She cringed before walking inside, expecting to hear a shout from Janet. Dorothy was definitely not allowed in the infirmary. However, Sam got a completely different surprise as she stepped into the doorway.

Dorothy was sitting at the foot of one of the infirmary beds on which a groggy Jack appeared to be rousing. As his half-open eyes shifted slowly to Sam, her blue eyes widened in concern and she quickened her pace to get to his side.

"Jack, are you alright? What happened?"

His lips quirked into a brief, tired smile as he murmured, "Headache." Jack took her hand when she perched on the edge of the bed. "I'm fine," he croaked weakly, automatically. His easy demeanor was in severe contrast to the helplessness he'd felt when the headache and the memories had struck him at once.

Dorothy's tail thumped softly against the bed and she laid down carefully at her master's feet.

"He _will be _once he gets a little more rest," the slightly-admonishing voice of Janet said as she clip-clopped her way toward Jack's bed. She pointed a disapproving finger at Dorothy. "You're not supposed to be in here."

The Shepherd tilted her head and blinked at Janet unapologetically, her tongue flapping out of her mouth.

Janet rolled her eyes and momentarily ignored the fact that there was an animal in her infirmary. She looked at Sam. "I tried to call you in both the briefing room and your lab."

Sam's eyes shifted briefly to Dorothy. "I was busy chasing a certain dog through the SGC. Apparently, she thought 'Let's go find Jack' was a command especially for her." She rolled her eyes, though inwardly proud of the animal's intelligence.

Janet laughed and Jack released a soft chuckle. When she saw her patient struggling to sit up straighter, Janet took hold of the remote for the bed controls and adjusted it for him.

"Can I go now, Doc?" Jack whined, looking at her with pleading eyes.

"Sam?" Janet asked, ignoring her patient for the moment. "Are you going home anytime soon?"

Sam's attention shifted back to Jack worriedly. "Yeah, I was going to head out in a little while," she lied. She'd been planning on going to her lab to study the fuel sample she'd brought back, but would gladly go home instead without a fight if Jack needed her.

"Alright, then." Janet turned her attention back to Jack and narrowed her eyes at him pointedly. "I'll let you go, but I want you to take it easy tonight, understand?"

Jack rolled his eyes.

"Is that understood, Jack?" Janet said more sternly in an almost-threatening tone.

Seeing that the diminutive doctor looked ready to get out the big needles, Jack gave an abashed smile and nodded sheepishly. "Yes ma'am."

Fraiser nodded with satisfaction and subtly brushed Sam's elbow to get her friend's attention. "Could I have a minute, Sam?" she requested quietly while Jack slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed and reached for his boots.

Sam quietly followed Janet just outside the infirmary doors. Her brows were furrowed questioningly. "What is it?" Her tone was a little anxious; she couldn't help it.

"I'm extremely serious when I say that I want him to take it easy for the rest of the day, Sam," Janet began softly. "He hasn't had a headache that bad in a long time."

"I know." Sighing, Sam nodded seriously. There was something else her friend wanted to say, though, she could see it in Janet's eyes. "What else is going on Janet?"

Her gaze flicked briefly toward the door where her patient was, and Fraiser made a slightly-worried face. "I think he might have had a flashback when the headache hit. I'm not sure, because I haven't asked him."

"Flashback? Of what?" Sam's brows twitched. Jack had many nightmare-worthy things in his past, and if he had a flashback, the cause could be from a number of things.

"The accident." Janet knew she didn't need to elaborate. The other woman was very aware what accident she was referring to. She fidgeted slightly with the stethoscope around her neck. "He was walking by the science labs at the time, and Dr. Lee and another scientist were conducting some kind of experiment. Dr. Lee said it was a contained explosion, and then the monitoring equipment short-circuited or something." She sighed softly, her eyes liquid and filled with sympathy. "I think the sounds, and maybe his headache, possibly triggered a flashback."

Sam nodded slowly. "I'll try to talk to him about it."

"Good. That might help. I wasn't even sure if he remembered the events of the accident." Janet patted Sam's arm in a comforting gesture. She leaned sideways to peer back into the infirmary, seeing Jack just finishing lacing up his boots. Dorothy was sitting on the floor, waiting for him patiently and wagging her tail. She smiled. "Alright Sam, get him home and try to make sure he behaves, alright?" The doctor was only half-joking about that.

"Yeah." Sam laughed a little and smiled back. When she turned to walk back into the infirmary, Jack was already on his way out the door, eager to leave.

"See ya, Doc." He slipped past the doctor easily, but didn't get far by Sam before she reached out a hand and snagged his elbow to slow him down. The sharp look he flashed barely fazed her.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Bye Janet, I'll talk to you later."

Janet sent her a knowing look as Jack impatiently tried to drag Sam away. "Bye Sam."

-

Jack groaned at the lingering pulses in his head when Sam pulled the car to a stop in their driveway. He opened his eyes and pinched at the bridge of his nose, squinting out the window when the car was in park and the engine had been turned off. He unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door, climbing out of the car slowly and closing his eyes again as a wave of dizziness washed over him. Jack heard Dorothy bark twice as she hopped out of the car before he closed the door, then she bounded toward the front steps.

Sam swiftly came up behind him and put a steady hand on his lower back. "You okay?"

"Uh-huh," he murmured in response, nodding, then instructing his feet to start moving. That's right, one in front of the other. You got it now. A hand strayed to the right side of his head and rubbed gingerly as he continued up the front steps and Sam stepped in front of him to unlock the door.

"You slept in the car," Sam noted absently as Jack was making his way to the couch, having kicked his half-laced boots off in the front hall. "Are you feeling any better?"

Dorothy hopped onto the couch the same moment he sat down and he slumped into her big, furry frame. "Sure. Fine," he muttered tiredly. Why was he so tired? He slept in the infirmary, for cryin' out loud! Wait, that was only about fifteen minutes. These headaches usually made him tired, he supposed. So did the medication. Jack hadn't had one in so long he almost forgot what they were like. Or how crappy he felt afterwards.

Sam came over to him and draped a blanket over his legs. "Go back to sleep. You'll feel better in a few hours," she insisted gently, reaching down to run a hand through his hair before patting Dorothy on the head and scratching her behind the ears.

Jack heaved a sigh, ready to protest, then gave up and let his head sink into the cushions when Dorothy moved, deciding she didn't want to be his pillow any longer. He closed his eyes as he felt the little pulses in his head fading and was asleep within minutes.

Sam left the room to catch up on some laundry.

When Jack woke an hour later, she was in the kitchen, dishing out some supper. He shuffled into the room slowly, Dorothy on his heels and looking for something to eat.

Turning to notice their presence, Sam smiled at man and dog in turn.

Jack fed Dorothy and gave her fresh water before going to the stove to investigate what Sam had been cooking. He inhaled deeply and leaned over her shoulder as Sam was putting the casserole dish back in the oven to keep it warm. "Mm, smells good," he said appreciatively.

Sam handed him a plate and smiled when his eyes lit up. "Here you go."

"Ooh, homemade enchiladas," he said in a soft voice, grinning at the food on his plate. Surprisingly, to both of them, Sam had become quite the cook in the last few months. Jack looked at her with a purposefully-dopey grin. "I love you."

Laughing, Sam sat down at the kitchen table with her own dish. The places were set, and she'd already had two glasses of water waiting, along with napkins and silverware.

They ate in silence for a while until Sam decided a certain topic of discussion needed to be brought up. She looked across the table at Jack as he took another bite of food and then sipped at his water. Sighing softly, her brows furrowed slightly as she spoke up bluntly, "Jack, did you have a flashback today?"

His head jerked up at the abrupt question, his fork half-way to his mouth. He dropped his gaze back to his plate and shoved the food in his mouth, mumbling, "Why would you ask that?"

She smiled tightly at him. "Janet; she told me what happened when you got your headache. She said you were very disoriented and it seemed like you may have had a flashback."

Jack frowned, then leaned back in his chair and rubbed at the back of his head.

Sam stared at him hard when he didn't answer. He was trying to evade the question. "Jack? Did you?"

His frowned deepened and he glared down at his plate. "Yeah." He sighed, crossing his arms over his chest and abandoning what was left on his plate. "So what? I'm fine. It's no big deal."

"I just thought you might want to talk about it."

"Well, I don't," he said with gentle finality.

"Okay," Sam relented softly with a sigh. Jack's slightly defensive behavior made her think that he was more concerned over this recent episode than he cared to admit. Something about it had bothered him, and despite backing off for the moment, she was determined to get to the bottom of this.

After taking one last bite of his food, Jack got up from the table and began clearing the plates, not giving Sam a chance to even finish eating. It didn't matter, she hadn't wanted to eat anymore anyway. Her mind had her too preoccupied to keep eating.

-

Sam didn't mention Jack's episode again until they were lying in bed that night. He was watching _The Simpsons_ on TV while she was reading a book. Well, trying to read a book, anyway. Most of her attention was focused on thoughts about Jack. When he turned off the television and hunkered down in bed, adjusting his pillows, she looked at him sideways when she realized he was staring at her. "What?"

He propped himself up on an elbow, lying on his side and facing her. Dorothy wiggled around to get comfortable at their feet like usual. Jack jerked his chin toward Sam. "What's with you? You've been reading that same page for the last fifteen minutes."

"No, I hav-" she started to deny it, but he gave her one of those 'I'm-not-that-stupid' looks and Sam was forced to duck her head in embarrassment and discontinue her attempted lie.

Jack quirked an eyebrow, patiently waiting for her to explain. "So? What's up?"

She sighed and smiled tightly. He was forcing her to bring up something she instinctively knew he would not want to talk about. Setting her book down on the bedside table, she turned off her lamp so the room was only lit dimly by the moonlight filtering in through the windows. Sam adjusted her pillows and then turned on her side to face him. "Jack, do you remember your accident?" She'd never asked him the question before, only because she knew he hated extra reminders of what he'd gone through. He got enough of those every time he went to the SGC and wasn't able to gear up with the team and go off-world, and whenever he suffered one of his episodes or needed extra testing done in the infirmary. There were so many things in his everyday life that reminded Jack how he'd been changed after that one fateful accident, and she knew he needed nothing else to add to those.

"You mean the day I became brain-damaged?" His nostrils flared resentfully as he sighed, his eyes drifting uncomfortably toward Dorothy at the end of the bed. He sat up again. When Sam waited patiently for him to respond without prodding further, Jack spoke reluctantly with a sigh. "Not really. Well, not in detail anyhow... Until today."

Sam pulled her lower lip between her teeth, feeling a little guilty for forcing him into this. Janet thought it'd be good for him to talk about what had happened today though, and so did she.

Jack rubbed at the side of his head and frowned, his fingers absently tracing the scar above his right ear. His eyes closed as he remembered what had triggered his flashback. "There was a bang...and an electric noise, just like that damn energy that went off on the planet when that weapon went ballistic." Breathing in and out slowly, he tried to organize his thoughts. He was no longer talking about what triggered the flashback, he was talking about his memory of the accident. "I remember turning, but it was too late. Something hit my side. It felt like half a dozen sharp, jagged knives ripping into me," Jack lightly ran his hand along his right side. "It happened so fast... Then I... I got hit in the head. Hard. It hurt." He grimaced, eyes still closed. "I went down; there was blinding pain. Then....nothing."

Furiously wiping at the tears she just now realized were falling, Sam reached over to gently place her hand on his leg. "Are you... Are you okay with it?" After the words left her mouth, Sam felt incredibly stupid and hastened to correct her question. "I mean, do you-"

"I'm fine," Jack sighed and started to lie down once more. "Let's just go to bed, huh?" He turned on his side, his back to Sam, and closed his eyes.

Nodding, even though she knew he couldn't see her, Sam rolled over and tried to sleep, staring at Jack's rigid back.

-


	7. Blessings

**Chapter Seven: Blessings**

When two weeks of multiple missions mainly consisting of mineral surveys, reconnaissance, and boring geological studies was finally over with, the team was grateful to have a long weekend off. Having finished her most recent report on Friday afternoon, Sam met Jack in the commissary for a little snack. She caught him getting some cake and a cup of blue Jell-O from the dessert cabinet as she walked into the open room.

There was hardly anyone around at this time, so she snuck up behind him with a wicked gleam in her eyes and snaked her arms around his waist. She laughed when he jerked slightly, then rested her chin on his shoulder and kissed his cheek. "Hey sexy," she whispered in his ear, teasingly, pulling away before they made a spectacle.

Jack chuckled and twisted around, raising an eyebrow at her suggestively. "You wanna take this off base, or what?" He smirked.

"Soon enough," Sam promised seductively, taking the blue Jell-O from his suddenly rather lax fingers and stepping away from him.

A lopsided, dopey grin spread across Jack's face as feeling returned to his legs and he followed after Sam, quickly tailing her to a table in the corner.

"When's Dad gettin' in?" Jack asked around a mouthful of chocolate cake as Sam spooned up some of her wiggly blue gelatin.

Sam smiled, having nearly forgotten that her father would be staying with them on Earth for the weekend. She was pleased and eager to see him. The Tok'ra had been pretty busy the last few months, and she'd only gotten to see him when it was work related. This time he would be coming by strictly for personal reasons. "The General said that Dad sent a message this morning. He can't get here until around 2100 hours, our time."

Jack nodded thoughtfully, then smirked, licking butter cream frosting off his lips and waving his fork at her. "So...how 'bout that _'soon enough,' _eh?" His eyebrows waggled suggestively.

Shaking her head, Sam laughed and said, "You're incorrigible!" She rolled her eyes when he shrugged innocently.

Finishing his cake, Jack looked at her expectantly, then when she didn't say anything, got up out of his seat and made to leave. "Okay. Guess I'll just get Daniel or someone to drive me home, and I'll see you later," he said quietly with false nonchalance.

She knew he was baiting her on purpose, but she didn't care. If he wanted to be playful today, she was game. Dropping her spoon in the almost-finished Jell-O dish, Sam went after him. "Wait, I'm coming!"

-

Sam and Jack swiftly got up off the couch where they'd been lounging around, watching TV when Dorothy announced Jacob's arrival at the house around 2145, barking loudly. Her father had been allowed to borrow a car from the base motor pool, so no one had to drop him off or pick him up. Sam hugged him fiercely as he stepped in the door with a duffle bag, nearly making him drop his things. "Hey, Dad." She smiled, kissing his cheek before stepping back and allowing Jack to greet him. Dorothy was behind Jack, also clamoring for attention from their visitor.

"Sam. You look great, sweetheart." He told her with a grin. It was obvious to Sam how much he'd missed her.

"Jake." Jack leaned forward, extending his arm for a handshake, a crooked smile illuminating his face.

"Hey, Jack." Jacob returned the handshake and the smile. "It's good to see you; how you doing?"

"Good Jake, real good," the younger man returned, his eyes twinkling as he shot a sly glance at Sam when her father wasn't looking.

Sam swallowed and tried hard not to blush. Oh yes, she knew why Jack was doing _'real good.' _She was _real good _because of the same reason, she just didn't want her father to know what they'd been up to hours before he arrived. Oh God, now she really was blushing! Quickly, Sam bent down to take her father's bag. "I'll go put this in the spare room for you, Dad."

Jacob leaned down to pet Dorothy as the German Shepherd shoved her way in front of him. He chuckled. "Hey girl, I'm glad you remember me."

Jack smirked and thumped Jacob on the shoulder. "C'mon Jake, you want some coffee?"

"Sure." He grimaced as he followed Jack. "Selmak would rather I didn't, though," he mumbled with a roll of his eyes.

Chuckling at the human/Tok'ra, Jack made his way over to the coffee pot and tried for a compromise both man and symbiote could live with. "How 'bout I put a lot of milk in it?" He glanced over at Jacob as the older man took a seat at the table, seeming to be having an brief, internal argument.

"That's fine," Jacob said finally with a nod.

Dorothy plopped herself down on the floor under the table, watching everything that was going on.

Jack took a black coffee for himself, one with milk and one sugar for Sam, and passed Jacob a mug that was more cream and sugar than coffee. He sat down at the table as Sam came in to join them.

-

Finished with their coffee and chatting about what had been going on in one another's lives, Sam got up and announced that she was heading off to bed. She kissed her father goodnight. "The guest room's all set up for you whenever you're ready, Dad."

"Thanks kiddo." Jacob nodded at her gratefully.

Sam stood beside Jack's chair, a hand on his shoulder. "You coming to bed soon?" she asked softly.

Jack nodded, grabbing his coffee mug and swirling the last cold dregs of the coffee around the bottom of the cup. "Yeah, I'll be there in a few." He had some things he wanted to talk to Jacob about first, things he couldn't say in front of Sam.

She gave him a slightly-curious look, then turned with a small smile and left the kitchen.

Once Jack was certain Sam was in the bedroom, out of earshot, he turned in his chair to see that Jacob was staring at him seriously. Dad knew that something was on his mind, though Jack was sure the older man wasn't quite sure what it was. Jacob was looking decidedly uneasy though.

"What's going on Jack?" Jacob asked him carefully, appearing more unnerved than a moment ago.

"I just wanted to talk to you about something I can't really say in front of Sam..." Jack trailed off, ducking his head slightly with a tight smile. When he met the older man's intent gaze again, he was surprised by the depth of concern in those dark blue eyes, and guessed that Sam's father was thinking about very disconcerting things.

Jacob leaned forward against the table and pitched his voice low. "You're not suffering any ill-effects from the alien medical pod we used last year, are you?"

"No, no, I'm fine," Jack was quick to assure him, waving his hands around dismissively. He smiled at Sam's father's concern. Clearing his throat, he lowered his own voice to a whisper and spoke. "Jake, what I wanted to talk to you about... Well, what I mean to ask is..." He hesitated, and could sense the other man's anxiety and eagerness for him to continue.

"For Christ's sake Jack, just spit it out!" Jacob nearly barked the words in his frustration, but he was still whispering.

Chuckling, Jack heaved a sigh and softly said, "I wanna marry your daughter."

Jacob froze, his eyebrows held high, eyes wide, mouth gaping open. In that moment, Jack found that he couldn't breathe, waiting anxiously for Sam's father to say something, anything. Jacob's head hung down so suddenly that Jack jerked back in his seat. Then it rose slowly, and he knew that the Tok'ra had taken control. **"I apologize, O'Neill. You have taken Jacob by surprise. He is composing himself as we speak."**

Jack made a face. "Uh, thanks. I think." He leaned all the way back in his chair, a little worried that Jacob might take a swing at him once he was back in control.

The Tok'ra's head bowed slightly again, and Jacob was back. His eyes met Jack's, but he didn't seem angry. "Sorry," he apologized, smiling a little, "I wasn't quite expecting that."

Leaning forward with a little more confidence, Jack rested his elbows on the table. He cleared his throat. "I figured I'd ask you first."

One of Jacob's eyebrows rose incredulously. "You're asking my permission?"

Jack smirked. "Well no, not really." He shrugged unapologetically. "But I would like your blessing." He paused and began fiddling with his empty coffee cup again, looking across at Jacob seriously. "I love her, Jacob. And I won't screw this up a second time. Sam means a great deal to me."

The older man nodded wisely and softly said, "I know she does, Jack. You mean a great deal to her, too." Jacob slid his chair back and got up, giving Jack an affectionate pat on the head in passing. "You've got my blessing, son."

Bowing his head with a relieved sigh, Jack grinned, glad to have gotten Sam's father's approval. He had a ring already, so now all he had to do was wait for the right time to propose. Jack knew that SG-1 had a mission coming up sometime in the next week once their weekend off was over, so he figured if things went well, he'd ask her to marry him when the team got back. Hopefully, over a nice romantic dinner of some sort, as cliché as it was.

Grinning to himself, Jack leaned sideways and peered under the table where Dorothy was lying. Her ears perked up and her head tilted as she looked at him curiously. "Ready for bed, girl?" Getting up from the his chair, Jack patted his leg and Dorothy got to her feet, following him to the bedroom.

Sam looked asleep when he got there, only the lamp on the table at his side of the bed was on, illuminating half the room and revealing the glass of water and pill she'd left out for him. He smiled slowly, then stripped down to his boxers and t-shirt, quietly going to his bureau and pulling out a pair of plaid pajama pants to put on. Once he was dressed for bed, Jack took his pill, then crawled beneath the covers and curled up against Sam, one arm wrapped around her and pulling her close. He felt her lean back into him with a contented hum as Dorothy hopped onto the bed and made herself comfortable at their feet.

-


	8. Waiting

**Chapter Eight: Waiting**

Their weekend together was over much too quickly for Jack's liking, and Jacob was back with Tok'ra. Sam had gone on a mission with the rest of SG-1 the first day back. She wasn't due home from off-world for another two days, and Jack had been so eager and anxious about asking her to marry him when she returned that he'd already gotten the table set up with candles and everything. The team was off on P6X-747, setting down the fundamentals for a temporary research site and it was taking a little longer than they'd expected. Jack was getting restless at home, unable to leave unless someone picked him up or he walked. Unfortunately, there weren't many places close by that he was really able to walk to, other than the park. He could have stayed on base, but Jack knew he'd be just as restless there. He'd recently finished up with a training group the previous day, and right now Hammond didn't have any other assignments to keep him busy.

Sitting down at the kitchen table for his dinner, which consisted of leftover homemade pizza from Monday night, Jack eyed his last beer of the week and figured, what the hell. He might as well drink it now.

Dorothy had wolfed down her dog food and was now sitting at his feet, staring up with hopeful amber eyes, expecting that maybe he'd slip a little something off his plate for her.

Jack shook his head when the German Shepherd rested her chin on his knee. "No pizza scraps for you, girl. The cheese gives you gas." He chuckled, then lightly rubbed the bridge of Dorothy's nose with his fingertip. Sighing, Jack solemnly took a bite of the pizza. He hated eating alone, and he hated when Sam was away.

Determined not to let his mind wander too much, hopefully to prevent a panic attack at the thought of Sam being so far from him, Jack quickly finished off his food, did the dishes, then grabbed what was left of his beer and headed for the couch. He took a long swig before sinking into the worn cushions, patting the space beside him and inviting Dorothy to join him. The dog curled up after a circling a few times, then laid her head in his lap.

By ten o'clock Jack had fallen asleep watching an old Paul Newman flick on TV.

-

Jack jerked himself awake two hours later when something cold and wet nudged at his hand. "Er? Whu-?" he spluttered, shaking his head and guardedly opening his bleary eyes. Discovering the cold and wet was coming from Dorothy's nose, Jack quirked a tired half-smile and looked down at the big amber eyes that were staring up at him from his lap. He heaved a sigh and rubbed a hand through his hair. "Okay girl, I get it. Bed time."

Dorothy hopped off the couch before him and stood there waiting patiently, her tail swishing back and forth.

Jack frowned slightly as he turned off the TV and the lights and headed up the lounge steps. He wasn't much looking forward to climbing in a cold bed devoid of Sam, and a lonely feeling settled in his gut. He loved her so damn much and hated being away from her for long. He hated that he couldn't take every single off-world trip at her side to watch her six, and have his watched in return. It was nights like this that made him long for field work again.

-

Spending half the morning in front of the TV playing video games after breakfast, Jack dragged himself off the couch when the phone rang and Dorothy started barking excitedly, wagging her tail. He quirked a smile, picking the phone up off the table by the front door. "It's not Sam, girl. She's not supposed to be back yet," Jack told the dog, shaking his head as he answered. "O'Neill."

_"Hi Jack, it's Janet." _

"Hey, Doc." By the calm, cheerful tone in Janet's voice, Jack knew she wasn't calling because something bad had happened to SG-1. He was instantly relieved as he asked, "What's up?" He covered the receiver with his palm and said to Dorothy, _"See, I toldja it wasn't Sam." _Jack chuckled as the German Shepherd's tail lowered to a sedate swishing and she followed him back to the living room.

_"I'm just calling to see if you wanted a ride anywhere today. I'm off duty if you need someone to drive you."_

"Naw, me and Dorothy are just gonna hang at home today," Jack told her, deciding he'd find his own ways to keep himself busy. He didn't want to put anyone out, but appreciated the offer. "Thanks anyways, Doc."

_"Sure, no problem," _she told him, her tone warm and friendly. There was a pause, then, _"Did you remember to take your pills?"_

Crap. Jack hadn't taken his seizure medication yet, and also realized he'd forgotten his nausea pills the previous night. Luckily, he hadn't gotten sick. Trying to throw the doctor off, he said, "Sam tell you to check up on me?"

_"Oh no, she would never do that." _The sarcastic lilt to her voice was unmistakable.

Jack rolled his eyes. He levered himself off the couch again and went to the kitchen for his medication. "Goodbye, Doc."

_"Take your pills!"_

"_Goodbye, _Doc!"

Janet laughed. _"Take care, Jack."_

-

Jack got out of the shower and quickly dried himself off, then pulled on a pair of boxer shorts. He stood in front of the mirror and leaned forward, examining the stubble growth on his face. He hadn't bothered to shave since Sam left a few days ago, but figured he ought to, now that she was due back soon. Jack wanted to be sure he looked nice for her when she returned so he could ask her to marry him.

He grinned at the thought, very much looking forward to the expression on Sam's face when he asked her. Jack was reaching for the can of shaving cream on the sink when Dorothy's loud scratching and whining sounded on the door. "Relax, Dorothy, I'll be out in a minute." He knew he should have let her outside before his shower.

The dog continued so scratch at the door and whine, leading Jack to believe something was wrong. He felt okay, figuring she couldn't be acting up because something was happening to him like last time. Brows furrowed, he grabbed the door handle. "Alright, hang on girl." Jack just managed to twist the knob when he was suddenly overcome by an odd, buzzing, tingling feeling that encompassed his entire body. Before he realized what was happening, Jack fell backwards with a groan, every muscle stiffening as he collapsed to the floor. He heard a sharp bark from the dog, and the last thing he saw was Dorothy's blurred nose in his face.

-

Jack wasn't sure how much time had passed when he began regaining his senses. Well, most of them anyway. He was disoriented and dizzy, every muscle aching. There was a heavy weight on his legs, and as he shakily reached up to his throbbing head with a groan, the weight lifted, and a wet tongue lapped at his face. He sluggishly realized that Dorothy had been lying across his legs.

Even with his head still feeling fuzzy, Jack knew he had to call someone, and Sam was still off-world. Janet, he told himself after a moment. Janet was at home. Opening his eyes to discover the German Shepherd staring at him intently and whining, he noticed the black medicine bag on the floor by his legs. She must have brought him his pills at some point, but the medication couldn't really do anything for him now. He'd already taken the anti-convulsants earlier, after Janet had called.

Seeing that Dorothy was awaiting some type of command, Jack was lucid enough to put a hand to his ear, then to his mouth. He closed his eyes and let his head thump back against the wall with a painful wince as the dog darted from the bathroom in response to his signals.

Jack had opened his eyes again when he heard Dorothy's paws tapping against the wooden floor of the hallway. She shoved the partially-open door again and pushed her way inside to drop the phone in his lap. "Guh...ood girl," he praised her weakly, managing to give her a pat on the head before picking up the phone. Dorothy sat down beside him, watching him carefully. His hand was still shaking, and it took all his effort to hit the speed-dial button for Fraiser's house and hold the phone to his ear.

It didn't take long for Janet to pick up. _"Hello?"_

"Doc," Jack breathed into the receiver, his voice much weaker than he'd intended.

Janet seemed to sense something was wrong from his voice, because she worriedly asked, _"Jack, what happened?"_

"I think..." he breathed slowly, "I think I jussst...had a..sseishure." Jack grimaced at the slur in his voice. His head was pounding and his whole body hurt.

_"Alright," _Janet took a breath, sounding like she'd regained her calm. _"Just stay where you are; I'm coming over. I'll be there in ten minutes."_

Nodding to himself, Jack turned off the phone and weakly let it slip from his hand. He groaned as his head thumped back against the wall again, and Dorothy laid her front half over his legs. The bathroom's tile floor was cold and unforgiving, but he didn't have the strength to get up, so he stayed put, as Janet would have wanted him to.

-

Janet sped to the O'Neill house, making the normally-fifteen minute drive in just under ten minutes. As she rushed up the stone steps with her medical bag, she thanked her lucky stars that the front door was unlocked. Hastily entering the house, she glanced toward the lounge where she could hear the television, but her attention was drawn toward the hall that led to the master bedroom when she heard Dorothy's deep bark.

"Jack?" Janet called out, making her way down the hall. She nearly stumbled back as Dorothy loped out of the bedroom and nearly barreled straight into her petite frame. The dog was barking and whining. "Jack?" she tried again.

When the Shepherd swung around and darted back into the bedroom, Janet quickly followed, not doubting Dorothy's ability to lead the doctor to her owner. As Dorothy trotted into the master bath, Janet had no doubts as to where she would find her friend. "Jack?"

_"H-here..." _a weak voice called out, barely audible.

Janet's dark eyes glossed over irresolutely as she took in the sight of the former Colonel. He lay on the cool tiled floor in just his boxer shorts, slumped awkwardly between the tub and the wall, pale and vulnerable. For a moment she was brought back to nearly two years earlier, caring for Jack when he wasn't able to care for himself, before Sam had returned, when she, Teal'c, and Daniel were primarily Jack's caretakers. It broke her heart to see him looking so helpless and lost once more.

Kneeling at his side once she'd managed to get a concerned Dorothy out of the way, Janet set down her bag and reached for his wrist to take his pulse. Satisfied that he had a fairly steady heartbeat, she turned her attention to searching for any type of injuries. Noticing a bit of blood on the edge of the bathtub, she reached for Jack's head, gingerly probing all around, causing him to wince as she came across a sore spot on the right side above his ear. Her fingers came away wet with blood.

"Jack, did you hit your head when you fell?" Janet already knew the answer, but she wanted to test his lucidity.

"I....I thih... I thhiiiinkso," he mumbled in response with effort.

Janet took his hand and squeezed gently. She really needed to get him somewhere more comfortable and warm. He'd started shaking. "Let's get you up off the floor. Think you can help me?"

Blinking slowly, Jack nodded and reached for the edge of the bathtub, trying to push himself upright while Janet took hold of his upper arm and helped him to his feet. Dorothy backed out of the bathroom and jumped on the bed as Janet guided Jack over and had him lie down. She covered him with a blanket, then went back to the bathroom for some things.

Jack was obviously weak and exhausted, and his speech was slurred because of the seizure as well. Janet knelt on the bed on his right side, with her medical bag opened up near his legs. She gingerly touched his forehead in a comforting gesture, then began to clean away the blood on the side of his head with a wet cloth from the bathroom. "Jack, how do you feel?" she asked him softly.

Knowing that it was useless lying to her, and not having the energy for it, Jack murmured, "Tuh-tired... Huh..rts.." Why was it so hard to talk? He heaved a sigh and felt his eyelids trying to close. He winced slightly as she dabbed at his head with what was probably an antiseptic wipe.

Janet had stopped tending to his head wound and was rubbing his arm to try and keep him focused on her. "Jack, listen, I need you to stay with me for a minute, okay? Just answer a few questions for me. Where do you hurt? Everywhere? Your head?"

He weakly managed to nod for both. God, he wanted to sleep. He felt a weight pressing against his left side and shifted his hand, encountering soft fur. Dorothy was lying beside him.

Fraiser's fingers were lightly probing around the wound on the side of his head. "This isn't too bad, but I think you may have a concussion."

Jack had really stopped listening after that. His eyelids felt too heavy and he couldn't focus anymore, his head lolling to the side on his pillow. Thoughts of Sam flittered through his brain, and he felt oddly displaced, like he was in a different time, a different moment. There was a voice speaking to him, but he couldn't make out what it was saying. It was a woman's voice.

A gentle hand raked through his hair. "Sssaam?" he croaked weakly.

Janet quickly realized that Jack wasn't exactly with her any longer. Her brows furrowed slightly, and she slid off the bed, taking her medical bag and tugging the blanket up to his shoulders to ensure he stayed warm. "No, Jack," she told him softly. "It's Janet." Putting her bag down on the floor, she put a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be okay. Just rest now."

He was breathing slowly, losing his battle to exhaustion. When his lips began moving as he tried to speak, Janet leaned forward and listened closely. "Wuh was'gonna...ask'er..t'marryme..."

Janet's eyes widened marginally as Jack trailed off, then he was gone. She sighed somberly and lightly touched his stubbly cheek before stepping back. Dorothy had lifted her head to watch her, but didn't get up. Janet smiled gently at the dog. "You look after Jack for me, alright?" Dorothy laid her head on Jack's legs, as though in agreement. "Good girl."

Putting a hand to her forehead, Janet made her way to the kitchen to put some coffee on and keep herself busy for a while until Jack woke up. She wasn't going to leave him, and when he was more lucid she needed to take him to the SGC. On her way to the kitchen, she caught a glimpse of the dining room and her heart clenched painfully. Jack had set the table with what looked like their nicest dishware, complete with romantic candles waiting to be lit, and flowers. He really was preparing to ask Sam to marry him.

-

Jack felt like absolute crap. He rolled onto his side with a groan, but didn't open his eyes yet. Feeling a heavy, warm body shift to lean against his back, Jack reached back an arm tiredly and encountered the body. It wasn't Sam, as he'd hoped, but it was Dorothy, and that soothed his slight anxiety. He vaguely recalled having a seizure, and he didn't want to be alone. His faithful German Shepherd had tried to warn him about the oncoming seizure with her whining, but he hadn't realized it. Jack wouldn't make that mistake twice, though he hoped there'd be no need for a warning in the first place.

Maybe if he'd recognized Dorothy's warning, he could have gotten down on the floor in preparation, instead of falling and whacking his head, Jack thought ruefully. Oy, speaking of his head, it was killing him at the moment. Forcing his eyes open, Jack's vision blurred minutely, and he felt sick. Concussion; yeah, he remembered that. He sat up slowly, trying to force the nausea from the concussion aside, but it wasn't slow enough.

Jack flung himself from the bed, falling at first before he regained wobbly footing and stumbled into the bathroom. He sunk to his knees at the toilet and emptied the contents of his stomach. Between heaving, he heard the sound of Dorothy's clawed feet on the cold tiles and felt the wet nose press into his bare side, between his ribs. Even though it wasn't the kind of comfort Sam could bring, he was grateful not to be alone.

Thinking that it was only Dorothy that was there with him, Jack jerked with surprise when he felt a cool, human hand press against his back.

"It's okay, Jack, it's just me," a familiar voice said softly, before he could turn his head around.

"Doc?" he croaked blearily.

"Yeah," Janet acknowledged, gently. "You called me over here, Jack. You had a seizure; do you remember?"

He slumped against the toilet with a groan. Bringing one hand up to rub against his aching head, Jack nodded carefully, closing his eyes. He heard Dorothy whine next to him, then felt a rough, wet tongue against his face.

-

Janet retrieved a wash cloth soaked in warm water and folded if over the back of Jack's neck. He looked miserable, and she frowned at him with sympathy. "You've been asleep for nearly an hour and a half."

"Sorry," he muttered, pulling his head out of the toilet and swiping at the dribble of vomit on his chin with obvious disgust. "Feel like crap."

"It's okay." Her gentle smile tightened into a grimace. "That's probably due mostly to the concussion." Janet watched him sit back on his heels with a moan and grab the cloth from his neck to wipe his face. She was pleased that his speech was back to normal again, if a little sluggish. "Can you get up?"

Jack gave a grunt of acknowledgement and reached out for the edge of the sink to pull himself up.

Janet hung onto his arm and helped him to his feet, letting go when he braced his arms against the edge of the sink. She backed off a little as he ran the water, splashing some on his face before grabbing for the mouthwash and rinsing the foul taste of vomit from his mouth. When he was finished, they returned to the bedroom and she stood in front of him as he sat down on the edge of the mattress, leaning forward with his head in his hands.

Dorothy was quick to hop onto the bed and lie down beside him. Janet could tell that Jack was grateful for the dog's warm presence.

"How about you lie down again, hm?" Janet suggested softly, bringing her hand up to rest on his shoulder.

Sighing, Jack straightened his back and slowly shook his head. One hand reached next to him to play with Dorothy's soft ears.

Janet dropped her hand from his shoulder and studied Jack briefly. His posture and attitude screamed to her the need to be in another's presence, desperate for some sort of contact, even if it was simply from the loyal dog beside him. She wished Sam didn't have to be off-world, because Janet knew her friend wouldn't even think twice about being here with Jack if she could. He appeared as though he really needed comfort; someone to hold him. Janet had no doubts that someone had to be Sam, just as it had over a year ago.

"Want to get dressed?" If he wasn't going to continue resting, Janet figured she might as well take him to the base. She needed to run some tests since he'd hit his head. If he'd only had the seizure, she wouldn't have to bring him in. The anti-convulsants Jack was taking made the seizures manageable; there wasn't a medication he could take to prevent them altogether. Because there was a head injury, Jack would need all sorts of tests and scans. Janet had to take extra precautions when the brain-injured former Colonel suffered any sort of head trauma.

When he nodded slightly in agreement, Janet went to gather some clothes for him without a word. Other than the fact that there was a new bureau in the room for Sam's things, and a subtle feminine touch, Jack had pretty much kept everything in place since she'd last taken care of him. She easily found some comfortable clothes for him, and handed him the sweats and t-shirt.

About to leave so Jack could finish getting dressed, Janet caught the warring look that flashed across his face. He looked like he wanted her to go, but needed her to stay. She frowned with uncertainty, wondering how bad he had to be feeling to be acting the way he was. He didn't want to be alone. Janet tilted her head slightly as she watched him shakily pull the t-shirt over his head. She was about to ask him if he was okay, then decided against it for the moment and quietly left the room.

When Jack came back out with Dorothy in tow, he was moving a little sluggishly, one hand gingerly massaging the knick on the right side of his head. He groaned, looking like he already knew what was coming. "You takin' me in, Doc?"

Janet had the car keys in her hand. "We're going to run an MRI, okay?"

"Doc," he started to protest, even as he began searching for his shoes.

"Jack, you know I have to," Janet said patiently, lightly taking him by the elbow when he'd slid his feet into a pair of old sneakers.

"But it's not bad," Jack whined half-heartedly as the doc grabbed Dorothy's leash from the coat rack and clipped it to the her collar.

Janet shot him a look. "It's bad enough, and I'm not taking any chances." They stepped out the door after Jack shrugged on his coat, and she handed him Dorothy's leash, picking up Jack's house keys that were on the table by the door and locking it behind them. "Do you have any idea what Sam would do to me if she found out I didn't make sure you were okay?"

Jack didn't have an answer for that one.

-

Once they'd dropped Dorothy off in Jack and Sam's suite on base, Janet took Jack straight to the infirmary. He seemed to be feeling a little better, if not tired, and had insisted she stop coddling him, pulling his arm out of her supportive grip. Needing to make arrangements for someone to take Cassie to the base when her daughter returned from her friend's house, Janet instructed Jack to sit on the infirmary bed and wait for her while she went to use the phone in her office. She ran into General Hammond on her way back to Jack.

"Doctor?" Hammond said with surprise when he saw her.

"Good afternoon, sir," Janet greeted, knowing he must have been confused to see her on base in her civilian clothing.

"Aren't you off duty for the day?" he asked curiously, possibly contemplating if it were the day he thought it was or not.

She smiled tightly, a little uncomfortable at the news she would need to give him. "Yes, sir." Janet paused, momentarily staring down at her sneaker-clad feet. "Jack called me at home after experiencing a seizure, sir. He hit his head and received a concussion when he fell. I've just brought him in to do a few tests."

The older man's face quickly molded into a concerned expression. "Is everything alright?"

"As far as I can tell at the moment, yes, sir. I'm just following procedure." Janet told him, eager to return to Jack before he got antsy and decided to go to his room or something.

Hammond nodded with understanding and waved for her to continue. "I'll let you carry on then, Doctor. Keep me appraised of his condition."

"I will, General. Thank you."

-


	9. Traversing Bumpy Roads

**Chapter Nine: Traversing Bumpy Roads**

It was a couple of hours before Jack's test results were in. After the scans, he'd gone to rest in a private infirmary room, still a bit nauseas from the concussion and not quite having an appetite. When Janet received the information from the tests, she'd had to double check the results, unable to really believe what she was looking at. With a heavy heart and determination in her steps, Fraiser went to see General Hammond before speaking with her patient.

Janet stood outside the General's office and knocked on the doorframe.

He was at his desk, looking through some papers as he absently answered, "Come."

"Sir," Janet spoke up steadily as she stood in front of his desk, hands clasped in front of her.

Hammond looked up, his brows furrowing when he looked at her. Janet guessed that she wasn't who he'd been expecting in his office, especially considering she was still wearing civilian attire and technically off duty. "What can I do for you, Doctor?"

She took a steady breath, her fingers tugging absently at the fabric of her light blue sweater. "General, would it be at all possible for Sam to be extracted from her current mission?"

The General's eyes narrowed slightly. He set his pen down. "For what reason?"

"It's Colonel O'Neill, sir." Janet said softly.

Hammond sighed, his head lowering slightly. "Doctor, both Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill understand that their personal lives cannot interfere with their duties. I can send a message to Major Carter during their next check-in and let her know how Jack's doing."

Janet's jaw clenched and she briefly closed her eyes, but continued on determinedly. "He needs surgery, sir."

"What?" the older man spluttered with a gasp. He set the papers on his desk aside and leaned back in the leather chair. "I thought it was just a concussion?"

Her head shook from side to side. "Jack needs surgery. I discovered something unsettling in his latest scans, sir. It appears as though the bit of shrapnel we left in his brain has shifted, and a significant amount of scar tissue is now surrounding it. I think this may be contributing to the intensity of his latest episodes."

General Hammond looked at her seriously. "Is there any reason this didn't show up on previous scans?"

Janet lowered her head slightly and sighed. "The last scans taken were about a month ago. There was no indication that the shrapnel had moved at that time."

Nodding, the General said, "How soon would you need to do the surgery?"

She smiled tightly at him. "I'd like to wait for some of the swelling from the concussion to go down, but the surgery can take place tomorrow, sir. It's not urgent as of yet. I also believe that both Sam and Jack would benefit from sharing one-another's company until that time, General."

"Alright," the older man sighed heavily and stroked a hand over his bald head, nodding compassionately. He checked the clock on the wall. "SG-1 isn't scheduled for another check-in for two more hours, but I can send Major Castleman and SG-5 in to retrieve Major Carter."

"Thank you, sir."

-

Janet briefly explained the circumstances of Jack's upcoming surgery to Sam, as she walked with the Major from the gate room to the infirmary level. The other woman looked as though she wanted to cry, and Janet put a soothing hand on her friend's back as she paused just outside the door to the private room. "Sam?"

Taking a deep breath, Sam briefly closed her eyes to compose herself and then let it out slowly. "I'm okay." She reached for the door, but couldn't seem to bring herself to open it yet. "How's Jack?"

Janet smiled tightly with sympathy. "Cassie's with him right now. He's okay for the moment, as far as I can tell. The seizure and the concussion has just left him a bit tired."

Sam grimaced, still not opening the door. She was staring at her hand, ready to push the door open, but still not doing it. "And when you told him he's going to need surgery?"

This time, Janet couldn't prevent her frown. "He didn't have much to say," she revealed softly, and by looking into Sam's eyes, it was obvious they both knew some of the thoughts that had to be running through Jack's mind.

Nodding, Sam took another deep breath before walking through the door.

-

Jack looked over almost immediately as Sam entered his room. He was attached to wires and leads from the nearby EEG machine. She smiled gently at him, and even as he sent her a crooked grin, she could see the incertitude in his dark eyes.

He was lying propped up against several pillows, and Cassie was perched on the edge of his bed, a notepad in her lap. From what Sam could see, it looked as though they'd been playing Tic-Tac-Toe.

"Sam," Jack breathed, suddenly looking as though he were surprised to see her.

"Hey," Sam came forward, nodding and smiling tightly at Cassie in greeting before her gaze returned to Jack. She was grateful to the teen as Cassandra gave up her seat so Sam could sit on the edge of Jack's bed in her place. "How are you feeling?"

He shrugged, his eyes not meeting hers. "I'm alright I guess."

Cassie set the notepad down on the bedside table and gave Jack a hug and kiss on the cheek before turning to go, giving the couple some privacy. "Bye, guys; I'll see you later."

"Bye Cass," Sam called after the teen, softly.

Jack looked over, raising a hand to wave with a barely audible, "See ya, kiddo."

Janet lightly tugged Cassandra out the door, and Sam and Jack were completely alone. Sam reached out her hand and lightly brushed her fingertips against the fresh cut above his right ear. "So, surgery huh?" Despite her lighthearted tone, she was terrified.

"Yeah." Jack breathed out heavily. He frowned, his eyes not quite meeting Sam's. She squeezed his hand. "Sam, listen...if something goes wrong-"

"Nothing's going to happen, Jack," Sam insisted, interrupting him and squeezing his hand harder.

He sighed, looking at her this time, and Sam was frightened by the anxious look in his dark, liquid eyes. "But if something does," Jack continued. "If it happens again, and I'm . . . different . . . "

Sam could tell it was difficult for him to go on. She remained quiet, letting him say what he needed to and knowing that he was talking about being mentally incapacitated again.

"I want you to know that it's okay for you to move on. I don't want to make you feel like you hafta stick around and take care of me, Sam." His gaze was deep and serious.

With tears in her eyes, Sam leaned over and hugged Jack tightly, her arms wrapping around him, careful to avoid the wires. She felt his arms go around her slowly, and then leaned back to grasp his face in her hands. "When I came back I didn't feel like I _had to _take care of you, Jack. I wanted to. And if it were to happen again, I'd still want to. I love you, Jack."

The wobbly smile he aimed at her was enough to get a few drops of tears to streak down her face. "I don't wanna burden you," he said softly in a whisper.

"You'll never be a burden to me. You never were," Sam tried to assure him, still holding his face gently between her hands so they continued to keep eye contact. "And nothing's going to happen, Jack. You're going to be fine."

He closed his eyes, both of his hands covering hers as he nodded. She knew he had to believe her as much as she needed to believe herself. Sam had to keep telling herself that everything would be fine. Jack was going to get through this surgery and everything would go back to being as close to normal as their lives ever got.

-

The morning of Jack's surgery, Janet went to prep him for the upcoming procedure and discovered that Sam was lying in Jack's bed with him, her body curled almost protectively around his. Sam's hand lay on his chest, fingers curled tightly into the fabric of the thin hospital scrubs he wore, and her head resting just beneath his chin. It was a heartwarming sight that brought tears to Janet's eyes. She knew this was just going to be more bumps along a very bumpy road for her two friends.

Pushing a cart into the room, Janet parked it beside the bed on the side that Sam was lying on, and gently touched her friend's shoulder. "Sam?"

Sam moved a little, snuggling closer into Jack's chest. "Hrm?"

"Sam," Janet called again, shaking her friend's shoulder a little. "Sam, you need to get up. I've got to prepare Jack for his surgery."

"Jack," Sam gasped, sitting up suddenly and opening her eyes, startling Jack awake in the process.

"Whus'wrong?" Jack murmured sleepily, propping himself up on an elbow.

Janet smiled and soothingly said, "Easy, now. Everything's fine." She directed her attention at Sam. "Sam, I just need you to get up so I can prep Jack for his surgery."

Sam's now-very alert gaze flitted from Jack to Janet. "Already?"

"Mm-hm." Nodding, Janet helped Sam off the bed while Jack began to sit up, becoming more awake. She reached for the bed remote to raise the head of the bed, assisting him. "Jack, I have to shave the side of your head for the surgery, okay?"

He rubbed at his eyes and made a face, reaching up to run a hand through his hair and frowning when his fingers got tangled up in the EEG wires. Jack sighed, gazing sideways at Sam where she now stood beside his bed. He worked up a crooked grin and muttered, "I needed a haircut anyways."

Sam straightened her clothes and reached out to squeeze Jack's hand, smiling at him lovingly.

"Sam, why don't you get yourself a shower and change into some fresh clothes while I get Jack ready?" Janet suggested, knowing that Sam probably wouldn't be going very far for a while once the surgery began. She noticed the immediate reluctance in the other woman's eyes. "I promise I won't even sedate him until you get back," Janet assured her friend.

"Go," Jack told Sam with a nod of his head. He smiled tightly. "I'm just gonna get a haircut."

Leaning forward, Sam smoothed back his hair and kissed him on the forehead before planting a brief kiss on Jack's lips. Janet felt like her heart was constricting in her chest. She admired how devoted they were to one another, and couldn't imagine the emotional turmoil she'd be going through right now if she and Daniel were in their positions.

"I'll be right back," Sam promised, slowly releasing his hand as she pulled away.

Janet's attention returned to her patient as she noticed the sudden look of confusion that flashed across his face. She stepped closer and touched his shoulder. "Jack?"

His brows were furrowed as his dark eyes darted around the room. "Where's Dorothy?"

Smiling, Janet swiftly reassured him. "She spent the night at my house. Right now I'm sure she's having a wonderful time playing with Teddy, rather than being stuck in the mountain all day."

"Oh." Jack sighed and nodded with comprehension. He glanced toward the buzzers and razor on the tray Janet had brought in and sighed again. "Okay, Doc, let's get this over with." Jack ran a hand through his hair one last time as though trying to memorize how it felt.

Janet helped him to sit up a little more, then moved around to the right side of his bed and went to work.

-

While a nurse was setting Jack up with an IV in the operating room, and the surgeons were scrubbing in, Janet took Sam by the elbow for a moment and led her just outside the doors. She knew this was going to be hard for Sam, and wanted to offer her friend some reassurances.

Looking concerned, Sam immediately asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Janet assured her friend, calmly. "I just want you to know that Jack's in excellent hands. Dr. Carlysle is the best neurosurgeon the Air Force has to offer, and she's already quite familiar with Jack's case. She was the one who'd been flown in to perform the emergency surgery after Jack's accident. She's excellent, Sam."

Taking a deep, fortifying breath, Sam nodded back at her and smiled tightly. She then glanced back inside the operating theatre. "Can I go in and see him before he goes under?"

Janet touched Sam's arm cajolingly, offering her a warm smile. "Of course." She silently wished Daniel and Teal'c could have returned from their mission off-world as well, knowing both of them would have wanted to be there for Jack. They'd been informed about what was going on, and weren't too happy about having to complete their mission before being able to return home.

-

Sam smiled affectionately at Jack and absently began to glide her fingers along the now-bare skin on the right side of his head, tracing the old scar that was more pronounced without a surrounding of silver hair. She bent down to lightly kiss his lips, well aware of the audience they had and not caring. Her eyes were watery, but she held the tears back. "It's going to be fine," she assured him, whispering softly and bringing one hand down to grasp his.

"Yeah." He heaved a sigh and forced a tight smile.

She straightened, rubbing her thumb against his hand. "I'll be here when you wake up, Jack."

When he nodded, Sam was a little frightened to see the obvious disquiet in his dark eyes. He didn't think he was going to wake up as himself.

Janet came back into the room, all scrubbed in. As she glanced up and behind her, Sam followed her gaze to see General Hammond standing above in the observation room. She appreciated his steady presence, almost wishing her father was around. She felt the need to be with someone while Jack was in surgery, and Teal'c and Daniel were unavailable. Instead, she would have to settle for a distraction.

"Alright, Sam," Janet said to her softly. "You're going to have to leave now. You can go up in the observation room if you'd like," she told Sam while the anesthesiologist approached Jack.

Waiting around in the observation room with the General until after Jack had gone under anesthesia, Sam took a deep, steadying breath and hastily went for the door with watery eyes.

"Major?" Hammond's voice called after her, his tone low and gentle.

She spun, swiping the tears out of her eyes. Sam shook her head. "I can't . . . I can't watch this, sir. I'll be in my lab if anyone needs to reach me."

He nodded at her, and she was grateful for his understanding. "I'll send someone to retrieve you when there's news, Sam."

"Thank you, sir." She smiled tightly with appreciation and quickly left the room, not wanting to see the doctors cutting into Jack's skull. It was too much; she couldn't take it.

-

Three hours into Jack's surgery, Janet stepped into Sam's lab. Taken off guard, Sam jerked with surprise when her friend softly called her name from the open doorway. Knowing the procedure should take several hours, Sam's hands began to tremble with incertitude as she pushed back from her table and the microscope she'd been peering into. She tried to pick something up from Janet's face, but couldn't detect anything. "Janet?" she asked tremulously.

Janet approached her and lightly grasped her hand.

"What's wrong?" Sam's heart was racing, blood pounding in her ears. She thought she might throw up when Janet finally spoke.

"Jack seized on the table, Sam, but he's alright now. We got him back, and he's stable. Dr. Carlysle is continuing with the procedure." Janet squeezed the hand she was holding and reached for the other one, holding both gingerly in Sam's lap. "After the scar tissue and sliver of shrapnel are completely removed, we're going to insert a metal plate to reinforce the most damaged portion of his skull."

Sam nodded numbly, slowly taking everything in. She didn't know what to do. What _could _she do?

"Sam?" Janet released her hands and touched her shoulder, looking concerned. "Are you alright?"

"What?" Shaking herself, Sam ran a hand over her face and took a deep breath. She could feel her eyes filling with moisture. "I just... I..." She sighed heavily. "I don't know what to do."

With a consoling smile as Sam slid off her stool, Janet softly said, "You do know, Sam. Just be there for him, like you have been."

Breathing deeply, Sam followed Janet out of her lab, but headed in the opposite direction. She'd need another distraction for now. Sam didn't quite feel like eating anything, but she went through the motions, heading for the commissary anyway. Maybe she could do with a cup of coffee.

-

After sitting alone in the corner of the commissary for half an hour, slowly and robotically sipping at her coffee, Sam headed for Level 21. She stopped just outside the doors to the operating room where the doctors were still working on Jack, nearly entering their fifth hour of surgery, now. Dragging over a chair from a nearby room, Sam placed it in the hall and sat down heavily. She couldn't bring herself to watch the surgery in the observation room, or to even peek through the glass windows in the door, but she wanted to be close. The time she'd spent in her lab earlier hadn't been very productive. She'd spent much of that time being distracted and thinking about Jack, even though the familiar work was supposed to take her mind off him. Everything made her think of Jack; there was no escaping it. So she'd given in. Being just outside the operating room was semi-comforting, and as Sam straightened and leaned her head back against the wall, she began to drift off into an uneasy sleep.

She was awakened by the gentle pressure of a hand on her shoulder, and her eyes snapped open as she straightened, her bleary blue eyes fighting to focus on the figure standing in front of her. "Janet?" she mumbled in a sleepy rasp.

Janet smiled warmly at her and dropped the hand from Sam's shoulder. "He's out of surgery."

Sam jumped to her feet so fast, she nearly toppled over. "How'd it go?" she asked anxiously. Her heart felt like it was going to burst from her chest.

"The scar tissue and shrapnel were removed successfully. After that, Dr. Carlysle put in the metal plate and closed him up."

"But is he...?" Sam found she couldn't say the words. She couldn't ask, but she had to know.

"Everything went well," Janet said softly, giving Sam a comforting look. "But until Jack wakes up, we can't be certain if there's any residual memory loss or damage."

Feeling that tightness in her chest once more, Sam sunk back into the chair behind her. She couldn't relax; not yet. Slowly, she nodded as she felt Janet's hand return to her shoulder.

"He should wake in a few hours; then we'll know for sure." When Sam lifted her chin, she found Janet looking at her with a mixture of understanding and concern in her eyes. "We're going to move Jack into a private room. I'll have a cot set up next to his bed for you so you can get some decent sleep."

Sam breathed deeply, nodding and offering her friend a thin, watery smile. She doubted she'd rest properly, but appreciated the sentiment. "Thanks, Janet."

-


	10. Waking Up

**Chapter Ten: Waking Up**

Jack's return to consciousness was met with a gaggle of nurses swooping in to calm their abruptly flailing patient, not wanting him to dislodge tubes and wires put there for his own good. Janet was quickly shouting orders as she hurriedly pulled a surprised, groggy Sam up from the cot nearby and placed the other woman's hand on Jack's arm, pressing it gently to the mattress. "Talk to him," she said quickly.

Although it was obvious to Janet that Sam was struggling to gain some type of focus and reorient herself, she heaved a sigh of relief when her friend began whispering in a low, soothing tone.

"Jack, it's okay. It's Sam. Listen to me, okay? You need to calm down. You're going to hurt yourself." Sam gripped his hand with one of her own, then began to stroke his arm consolingly with the other. Her voice went even quieter. _"Shh, it's okay. You're alright. Shh." _

Janet was again relieved when her patient's arms and legs went limp once more, his head tilted toward Sam, and his eyelids began to flutter open. For a moment she was taken back to when Jack had been waking from his coma after the original emergency surgery to remove the shrapnel from his brain. She remembered feeling helpless, and the despair that had struck her when she realized that Jack O'Neill had woken as a very different person than the one they all knew. Janet prayed they wouldn't have to go through that again; that Jack wouldn't have to go through that again.

-

Sam's heart lodged somewhere in her throat as Jack's brown eyes opened and began to track towards her. She stopped stroking his arm to squeeze his hand in both of hers, and felt a flare of hope when his hand weakly clenched within her grip. _"Hey, Jack, honey. Do you know who I am? Can you say my name?" _Sam froze as she awaited some sort of response. He looked so fragile lying there, bandages wrapped around his head. He was breathing heavily in response to his frantic struggling moments ago.

His face twisted into a weak, crooked smile, and his voice was barely audible when he finally said, _"It's . . . Teal'c, right?"_

Choking out a strained laugh, Sam felt tears of relief streaking down her cheeks. _"Oh, Jack,"_ she cried softly, leaning over him and hugging him gingerly while placing a kiss on his cheek.

_"Never . . . forget you . . . Sam." _Jack's eyelids were already drifting closed again, and Sam could see Janet out of her peripheral vision, moving in to check his vitals as the doctor waved the hovering nurses off.

Janet went around the opposite side of the bed so Sam wouldn't have to move, then lightly cupped the side of Jack's face before he had to chance to drift off completely. "Jack, I know you want to sleep, but I need to know how you're feeling," the doctor told him, softly. "Any weird sensations or tingling in any of your limbs? Double vision? Odd smells, or anything like that?"

Sam watched intently as Jack blinked up at Janet, his eyebrows lifting as he tried to force himself to remain awake, though he was obviously failing. She stroked her thumb gingerly over his hand.

_"Mrm . . . no," _he mumbled, brows furrowing slightly now as his eyes closed. _"Head . . . h'rrrts . . . Tired."_

"Jack?" Sam called to him softly, but he was out for the count. She glanced over him at Janet, watching the doctor check his pulse and the output of his IV, injecting something into the IV port.

"Everything looks good right now, Sam," Janet assured her with a warm, consoling smile. "The pain is normal. I've just given him something for that. He'll probably sleep straight through to morning." Then she shot Sam a look of concern, and there was a sense of an order in her tone. "Go get something to eat, then I want you to rest."

Sam frowned and looked toward at her wrist watch. It was five in the evening, and she suddenly realized that SG-1 was due back soon. Her head lifted quickly, blue eyes meeting Janet's dark brown. "Daniel and Teal'c will be back soon."

Janet just smiled at her and came around Jack's bed again, so they were standing side by side. "I'll get them up to date when they arrive. Now go eat something; I need to go speak with the General. He wanted to know when Jack woke up."

Sighing softly, knowing her friend wasn't about to let her get away with anything, Sam nodded in acceptance and reluctantly started to leave Jack's recovery room. First she placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, then squeezed his hand one last time. She promised herself she wouldn't be leaving him for long, and knew that Janet would have someone looking after him.

-

Sam perched herself on the edge of Jack's bed and gingerly let her fingers play with the hair poking out from the bandage wrapped around his head. A day later, and he could finally stay awake longer than a few minutes at a time. It was nice to be able to speak with him and be reassured that he was no worse for wear after the surgery.

Jack's eyelids fluttered open, and Sam drew her hand back, letting it settle on his arm. As he focused on her, slowly, his mouth opened and his eyes shifted suspiciously. "Daniel? Teal'c?"

She gave his arm a gentle pat. "They were here a few minutes ago," Sam told him, softly. Since their return from off-world the previous night, Daniel and Teal'c had been updated on their friend's condition, and showed up in the infirmary every few hours to look in on him. "You were still asleep, and I told them not to wake you."

He nodded, once. "Oh." Jack tapped the mattress at his side with his other hand, then looked confused a moment later like he'd been expecting something. "No Dorothy?"

"No." Sam shook her head and smiled tightly, realizing he'd been expecting her to hop up onto the bed next to him. "Dorothy's at Janet's." She felt a little guilty that the loyal Shepherd was still staying at Janet's house. Cassie had called recently to worriedly tell them that the stubborn dog was refusing to eat today, and Sam was planning on picking Dorothy up if Janet would allow the dog to stay with them in a private room. The poor dog obviously missed her owners, Jack especially.

Jack offered another nod before his face contorted slightly in what Sam quickly assumed was discomfort.

"Are you in pain?" Sam asked with concern, squeezing his arm. She was reaching for the call button before he could respond.

He grunted, closing his eyes. "No. I'm . . . okay," he said softly, opening his eyes again and aiming a crooked smile her way.

Janet arrived swiftly and made a beeline for Jack's bed. She sent a smile toward Sam, then Jack as she stood on the opposite side of his bed so Sam wouldn't have to move. Pulling something out of her coat pocket, Sam didn't realize it was a syringe until Janet injected it into Jack's IV port. "Jack, I'm just giving you a mild painkiller," Janet said gently with a comforting smile aimed his way. "How are you feeling today?"

"Alright," he answered without thought, one hand fumbling to find the remote for the bed controls. Sam decided he must have found it, because soon the head of the bed was rising slowly so that he was able to sit up.

"I'm going to check your motor skills, okay?" Without waiting for an answer, Janet loosely grasped his hand and asked him to squeeze. After he did so, she smiled with a nod of approval and reached for the other hand, asking for the same thing.

Sam didn't know why, but she was nervous. As Janet asked him to complete different simple tasks, she had the sudden irrational fear that the doctor would find something wrong.

When Janet finished her simple tests to satisfaction, Sam released the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. She smiled warmly at Jack as she noticed his gaze track toward her. He looked tired.

"Okay," Janet said with a smile, making a few notations in Jack's chart. "Everything looks good."

Jack perked up slightly, and Sam didn't fail to notice. "That mean I can go home?"

"Hmph." Shaking her head, Janet looked at Jack patiently. "Not so fast. I need to keep you around for a few days, just to allow the internal lesions some time to heal, and so we can monitor you." When Jack opened his mouth to protest, the doctor quickly added, "But I will allow you to go to your on-base quarters. We can do more tests later, or even tomorrow."

"Really?" Skepticism heavily laced Jack's voice.

Janet was smiling back at him. "You'll need to remain on a few monitors, but as long as you stay in bed and continue to take it easy, I can check up on you from there."

"Sweet." Jack exclaimed softly with a satisfied smile on his face that sent Sam's heart soaring.

Sam watched disinterestedly as Janet waved at an incoming nurse and sent the woman to fetch a gurney for Jack. She couldn't have been more relieved that the surgery went okay, honestly not knowing what she'd do with herself if anything happened to him again.

Once they'd gotten him settled, reluctantly, on the gurney, Sam stepped behind Jack, ready to do the driving. She knew Janet would want to set some rules down, so she waited for the doctor to come over to them.

"Sam," Janet called, gathering machinery, monitors, and leads. "Why don't you take Jack to your quarters, and I'll meet you there in a few minutes to set up, okay?"

"Sure."

"Do you need me to send an orderly with you to help with the gurney?" Janet offered.

"No, I think I can handle it." Sam smiled, glancing down at Jack to see him craning his neck to grin wryly back up at her. He was okay, and that was all she cared about.

-

As Jack got comfortable in the bed, Janet set up the monitors and began attaching leads to his chest and at his temples. Then she addressed both Jack and Sam as she spoke. "Now, we can't yet be certain if the removal of the shrapnel and scar tissue made any difference in his condition. Over the next several months you'll need to keep track of any headaches, both regular headaches and the debilitating ones, seizures, including the type and length, and you'll need to record any nauseas episodes as well." Janet was looking at Sam, now. "Sam, I need you to help Jack keep a record, okay? Especially with the seizures, since he won't be as aware with those, and the bad headaches. I'll go over the different types of seizures with you, again, if you'd like."

Sam nodded and smiled tightly. "I'll need a refresher. The handful of times he's had seizures, they've all been the tonic-clonic ones."

"That's right; and that may not change, either." Janet nodded back at her. She adjusted some of the wires and then turned on the machines on the cart by the bed. "I'll give you a run down later, while Jack's getting his tests done. But for now, it's very important that he rests and takes it easy."

Jack groaned with exasperation, and Sam was well aware of how much he hated restrictions.

Janet handed Sam a small orange notebook with a pen clipped to it. "This is for the both of you to keep track. I want dates, times, and lengths of episodes, whichever ones they are. I'll also need you to make a note of any medications used to relieve his symptoms."

Sam sat on the edge of the bed, avoiding all the wires and Jack's IV line. She took his free hand, lightly stroking her thumb over his knuckles, and smiling gently when he gave her hand a faint squeeze.

"I'm not going to start him back on his seizure medication for at least another forty-eight hours. We need to see if there's been any change in the severity or number of seizures with this surgery, but I've already told you that it may not have affected him at all." Janet paused and smiled tightly with a soft sigh. "We may not even know if the seizures have been affected until months from now, since the ones he's had have been mostly few and far between."

Jack made a face, and Sam knew he didn't like the idea of being without his seizure medication. She sympathized with him, not wanting him to suffer from any of his episodes either.

Propped up by pillows, Jack's head began to tip sideways as his eyelids fluttered. Sam touched his shoulder and he started slightly, snapping his eyes open wide. "You okay?"

"Mm-hm." He nodded, blinking several times and breathing in and out slowly.

"Okay," Janet announced, "Time to rest, Jack." She took one last look at the monitors. "We'll be keeping an eye on you via the computers at the nurses station if you need anything." The doctor had rigged up a call button in the room with Sam's help. "I'll have someone bring something in for you to eat in a little while, alright?"

Jack grunted in response. "Not hungry," he muttered groggily.

"You need to eat," Sam said before Janet could. He rolled his eyes, and she briefly cupped the side of his face, sandpaper stubble scratching her hand.

He snorted, raising an eyebrow at her as he pointedly said, "So do you."

Sam smiled at that, catching Janet's quiet laugh as well. "I will," she assured him, lightly. "I promise. Now try and rest for a little while."

"Yes, ma'am." Jack smirked, then sluggishly tried to rearrange his pillows with Sam and Janet's help. He settled down, almost completely flat on his back, and drifted off to sleep.

-

Jack opened his eyes and tilted his head, brows immediately furrowing at the sight of the familiar figure sitting in the chair beside his bed. "Daniel?" he rasped, blinking a few times to clear his sleep-fogged vision.

"Hey," Daniel greeted with a friendly smile, looking up from some notebook he'd been flipping through.

Pushing himself upright slowly, and realizing, with relief, that his head didn't hurt, Jack carefully swung around to let his legs dangle off the edge of the bed as he faced his friend. He was still connected to leads and monitors, and the wires all tugged slightly when he moved. He wasn't too happy about that.

"What's the matter?" Daniel asked suddenly, with concern, sitting straighter in the chair.

Jack lifted his head and blinked at his friend. He realized that he must have been frowning. "Ah, nothin'." He waved a hand at all the medical paraphernalia. "Annoying extra wiring."

Daniel's head tipped with understanding. "Ah." He shifted in his seat again, leaning forward slightly. "How you feeling?"

Closing his eyes, briefly, Jack just shrugged and said, "Alright, I suppose." He looked around the room, but the person he really wanted to see wasn't there. "Where's Sam?"

"She went to pick up Dorothy and grab you some clothes from home."

"Oh." Jack quirked a brief smile. That was thoughtful of her. He was glad he'd get to see Dorothy, too. He was really missing the ole' girl, and knew she could be a bit of a handful when he was away too long.

"So," Daniel slapped the magazine against his knees. "How you feeling?"

Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Jack muttered, "You just asked me that."

"Just checking." Daniel grinned at him cheekily, and reached out to pat Jack's leg.

"Har, har." Rolling his eyes, Jack started to stretch a little when the leads attached to him were pulled again. Irritated now, he yanked them all off, sending the machinery squealing. He quickly blocked his ears with a groan, all the noise suddenly making his head ache. "Agh! Shut that damn thing off!"

Daniel hopped up from his chair and began flicking switches, trying to get the machines to shut up. With one final flick, it was quiet again. "Okay, okay, I got it. No more noise."

Heaving a sigh, Jack lowered one of his hands; the other was curiously plucking at the bandage around his head.

"Jack, leave it alone," Daniel warned, diverting his attention as a nurse came running into the room, looking alarmed. The archaeologist shook his head and waved her off, pointing to the machines that had been wailing. The woman nodded understandingly and left.

Jack was just grateful that she wasn't going to insist he keep the wires all attached. He was sick of being tethered to a bed. He wanted to go home, and he wanted Sam. Feeling the build up of a panic attack as irrational anxiety washed over him and he began breathing heavily, Jack muttered a curse and pushed the heels of his hands into his eyes.

"Jack?" Daniel's soft voice called out, and a hand pressed down on Jack's shoulder. "Easy, now; breathe slow," he instructed calmly.

Concentrating hard, Jack forced himself to even out his breathing. He felt himself slowly start to calm down, and shifted on the bed, lowering his hands from his face. "M'fine," he mumbled.

"Sam will be back here with Dorothy, soon."

Nodding, Jack pulled his legs back up on the bed and leisurely laid back again. He continued to concentrate on taking deep, calming breaths, telling himself that he'd feel much better when Sam arrived.

-

Sam stepped into the house, unsure about what she'd find there. She hadn't been home since her mission, and Jack had left in a bit of a rush, considering the fact that Janet had come over to drag him off to the infirmary. As she walked around a little, ensuring doors and windows were locked, the dirty dishes in the kitchen sink weren't a surprise. What _was _a surprise, however, was the particular way the dining room table had been set. The fine china had been laid out, with neatly folded linen napkins, a set of candles, and a bouquet of flowers that were well on their way to wilting. The thought of Jack planning a romantic dinner for her when she'd gotten home put a smile on Sam's face.

Pulling a small sports duffle out of the bottom of the closet, Sam began to gather some of Jack's clothes to take back for him. She grabbed a couple of clean shirts, some sweats, a few old t-shirts for bed, some comfortable cargo pants, socks, and-

Sam's hand froze midway into his underwear drawer. There was a small, black velvet box tucked into the corner. Heart thudding in her chest with anticipation, she picked up the box, her thumb smoothing across the soft material for a moment before flicking it open. Inside was a simple white gold band, with two smaller diamonds on either side of a center larger one. Suddenly choked up with emotion, a slow smile spread across Sam's face as tears glistened in her eyes. Jack had been planning to ask her to marry him.

-

All of Jack's monitors and wires were gone by the time Sam returned to the SGC with Dorothy in tow. The big dog eagerly galloped over to the bed and hopped up to greet Jack before Sam could stop her. Jack had looked like he'd been sleeping so peacefully. She winced as Dorothy nosed at the blankets surrounding Jack to reveal his face for a good lick.

"Hrmph?" Jack rolled slowly onto his back, his eyes opening gradually and struggling to focus. "Hey, girl. I missed you, too." A grin spread across his face, arms reaching up to hug her thick, furry neck. He chuckled sleepily, then pushed himself to sit up. When his eyes shifted toward Sam, his grin widened. "Hey."

"Hey." Sam smiled back at him and held out a small carry bag. "I brought you some things from home." She set it down on the bed and sat down by Jack's legs.

"Thanks." The flash of relief in Jack's eyes, when he looked at her, didn't go unnoticed. She glanced at Daniel, who shrugged, then bid them both a "See you later," on his way out.

Sam had just finished helping Jack into his sweats and t-shirt when Janet strode into the room, pushing a cart with a few medical supplies. They both turned to the doctor in greeting as Dorothy sat up at the end of the bed, attentively watching the doctor and wagging her tail. Janet looked at the machines that had been turned off. "Sergeant Fitzgerald told me that you disconnected your wires earlier," she said mildly, a faint hint of disapproval in her tone.

Jack swung his legs over the side of the bed slowly, so that he was sitting side-by-side with Sam. He glared at the machines disdainfully, but didn't respond.

"It's alright. I was going to remove them anyway. I'll check in with you myself every couple of hours." Janet gave Dorothy a pat on the head and stepped in front of Jack and Sam, pulling a chair over and taking a seat. "I just came by to remove the bandages on your head, and see how you're feeling."

Sam moved over to give Jack room as Janet stood again to unwrap the gauze around his head. She couldn't help the twitch of a grimace on her face as Janet revealed the horseshoe incision that started at the back of Jack's right ear and curved over to his temple.

Janet pulled on a pair of gloves, then lightly probed along the incision, reaching for the tray she'd parked nearby, and then using antiseptic wipes to clean along the wound. After she'd applied some sort of gel, she removed the gloves and leaned back with a reassuring smile. "Okay, this looks good, Jack. The stitches should be able to come out in a week, and if this continues to heal well, the scar shouldn't be too bad once your hair grows out."

Jack snorted, lightly fingering the old scar above his ear without touching the new stitch work. "No problem. I'm no stranger to hideous scars, Doc."

Moving closer to him again, Sam's lips curved into a tight smile that matched Janet's. She reached over to place her hand on Jack's knee, giving it a gentle, comforting squeeze, then leaned sideways to kiss his cheek. He grinned lopsidedly and placed his hand over hers.

"Now, how are you feeling?" Janet asked, gathering up her supplies, ready to leave the two of them alone.

"Pretty good," Jack answered lowly. He shrugged. "Just tired."

Sam glanced at Janet, but she didn't seem concerned. Wanting to be close to Jack, she hooked her arm around his and rested her head on his shoulder, lovingly running her hand up and down his arm.

"That's normal. You're probably going to continue to tire easily over the next few days."

Jack heaved a sigh. Sam could tell that at that very moment he was ready to lie down and go back to sleep again.

"Have you eaten?" Janet wanted to know.

"Yeah. Earlier, when Daniel was here," Jack confirmed with a faint nod. He tilted his head, motioning Dorothy over with his left hand as Sam lifted her head from his shoulder. The German Shepherd walked around them and settled on the other side of Jack, resting her head by his leg.

Janet smiled at him. "Alright, that's good." She patted his knee. "Get some rest, and I'll come by in another couple of hours to check on you."

"Uh-huh." Jack nodded, tiredly, and Sam helped him to lie down again.

Dorothy moved to lie down by his feet as Sam crawled onto the bed, kicking off her shoes and curling up at his side. She closed her eyes, gently resting a hand on his stomach. "You okay?" she asked him softly.

Her hand rose and fell on his stomach as he took a deep breath and sighed. "Yeah." She could hear the relief in his voice. "I'm okay."

-


	11. Home

**Chapter Eleven: Home**

Jack's stitches had finally come out, and there was now a fine layer of peach fuzz on his head where it had been shaved for the surgery. The bright pink skin of his healing scar was still a stark reminder of what he'd been through, something both he and Sam were reminded of every day. But it was also a reminder to Sam that he was alive, still with her, and would be for a long time to come. No way would she ever give him up that easily. He was hers. Forever.

Sam watched him eat his Froot Loops across the breakfast table, her mind drifting. She hadn't mentioned anything about the ring she'd discovered in his dresser, but that didn't bother her. If he was planning to ask her, he'd ask her.

"What?"

Shaking her head, Sam forced a quick smile at Jack as she realized he'd caught her staring. "Nothing." She noticed Dorothy standing by the back door, staring out through the glass. Sam pushed her chair back slowly, and stood. "_Somebody _wants out." She laughed as the German Shepherd eagerly dashed out across the back porch and then through the yard once she'd opened the door.

When she sat back down, Jack had finished his cereal and was watching her.

"Oh!" Sam gasped, suddenly remember something. She smiled excitedly at him. "I almost forgot; Janet called earlier this morning. She took a look at your latest scans and noted that there's been a slight change in brain activity since the surgery."

His brows knit together slowly, a cautious look on his face. "Good or bad?"

"Definitely good!" she told him, eagerly. "She thinks the piece of shrapnel was impeding your body's Ancient-enhanced healing abilities, and your body is still making repairs."

Jack just shrugged. "Okay," he said slowly.

She knew the news didn't make him feel any different, but that he was probably pleased to hear that there was still room for improvement. He just didn't want to get his hopes up, which was understandable.

Getting up from her seat again, Sam went over to Jack and threw her arms around his neck, pressing her cheek against his. "This is good news," she said softly against him.

He nodded, and his face pulled into a grin as she kissed him.

-

Two weeks after his stitches came out, Jack had been doing well. He was back on anti-convulsants again, but still hadn't suffered any seizures, nausea, or debilitating headaches since the surgery. Janet had felt sure that with the removal of the shrapnel, he may no longer be suffering from the nausea or extreme headaches at all. Jack and Sam both remained cautiously optimistic at the idea.

Jack was helping Sam fold a load of laundry in the living room when he suddenly stopped what he was doing, and stuffed both hands in his pockets, smiling tentatively at her.

She cocked her head at him, wondering why he was looking at her with that cute, boyish look on his face. The fact that he was shifting from foot to foot nervously made her curious. "Jack?"

He stepped toward her, gently tugging the towel she was folding from her hands, before lightly grasping them in his own. "I love you."

Sam laughed softly, thinking that he was just goofing around. "Yeah, I love you, too. And I love that we can do laundry together. We should do this more often," she joked lightheartedly. When he stared back into her eyes, a serious expression in his dark brown depths, Sam didn't know what to think. Her whole demeanor changed from teasing to confused, and a little concerned. "Jack?"

"I'm pretty sure you've already seen it, and I don't think there'll _ever _be a perfect time to do this - 'cause hey, that would be a cliché, and you know how I feel about those." He smirked, tugging a very familiar-looking velvet box from his left pocket. "But, uh," He flicked the lid open with his thumb, smiling tenderly, his cocoa eyes never leaving her blue-sapphire orbs. "Sam, will you marry me?"

Her jaw dropped slightly, eyes stinging with the sharpness of sudden tears. Sam's heart thudded in her chest, and she suddenly realized that she'd been squeezing the life out of Jack's forearms. She swallowed reflexively, her throat surprisingly dry. _"Holy Hannah," _was the first thing to come out of her gaping mouth.

"Actually," Jack chuckled at her, "This is the part where you say yes . . ." He squinted one eye, making a funny face. "Or no."

She laughed, blinking back the tears of absolute joy that threatened to streak down her cheeks. "Yes, Jack. Without a doubt; _yes_." Sam flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, crushing her lips to his as they met with equal enthusiasm, his arms snaking around her waist and squeezing her tight. As he pulled back to slip the ring on her finger, she couldn't have been happier. Jack was doing so well, and they were both happy with their lives together. Confirming their love with a ring and a wedding license wasn't going to change that, but it was a reminder of what they had, what they would always have.

-

The announcement of Jack and Sam's engagement was a quiet affair among friends. They had a small get together at home, inviting the rest of SG-1, Janet and Cassie, and even General Hammond. Sam had been able to send a message on to her father, but he was busy with his Tok'ra duties, and unfortunately had been unable to come home for a visit.

When it was time, the announcement hadn't come as a surprise to any member of their extended family, though they all got a good laugh when Hammond exclaimed, "Well, it's about time, son!" and gave Jack a fatherly clap on the shoulder. Janet had a suspicious, knowing look on her face up until they told everybody, and Sam had an inkling that her best friend had known all along. She made a mental note to ask about that at some point.

In the days following the team's little family party, Sam had been busy with work. She, Daniel, and Teal'c had been scoping out several planets with the possibility of naquadah deposits, and she'd also been spending a lot of time in the labs, studying soil samples for traces of those deposits.

While she was at work, Jack was at home with Dorothy, still under orders from Janet to take it easy. Sam knew he wasn't taking those orders well, but had been trying to keep himself busy without doing too much.

Sitting back to give her eyes a rest from staring into her microscope for so long, Sam rolled her chair toward the wall where her lab phone was. She dialed home, smiling when Jack picked up after a couple of rings.

_"O'Neill." _

"Hey, Jack." She pictured him grinning at the sound of her voice.

_"Hey. How's the geek work going?"_

Sam rolled her eyes, twisting the phone cord around her fingers. "Good. I'm taking a break."

_"Seriously?" _The shocked tone made her laugh. _"You feelin' alright, Sam?"_

She shook her head, smiling to herself. "What are you up to?"

_"Nothin' much. Just got in from taking a walk with Dorothy and . . ." _Sam could hear a thumping noise in the background, followed by Dorothy's bark and a muffled voice. _"Hang on a sec. Daniel's here. C'mon in, Daniel!" _

Suddenly glad that Jack had some company, Sam said, "Make sure you feed him. I'm pretty sure Janet kicked him off base. He's been cooped up in his office all day and probably hasn't eaten anything."

Jack chuckled loudly, then his voice was muffled as she assumed he was holding the phone away from himself. _"Sam told me to feed you." _She heard Daniel's voice in the background, but couldn't make out the words. Then Jack was back, his voice more clear as he spoke to her. _"He wants you to tell Janet where he is; proof that he hasn't snuck back to his lab."_

Sam laughed. "Will do." She swiveled from side to side in her chair, knowing that she ought to get back to work so she could go home tonight. She'd had to leave the house early, and was really missing Jack today. "You boys try and behave now."

_"Yes, ma'am,"_ Jack teased.

"I'll see you later, Jack," she told him.

_"Bye, Sam."_

Hanging up the phone with a smile on her lips, Sam quickly returned to her work, even as thoughts of lounging on the couch with Jack, and cuddling up to watch TV filled her mind.

-

Jack watched Daniel's immense enjoyment in eating his chicken salad sandwich with something akin to amusement. He wondered at the last time his friend had eaten, and guessed that the answer wouldn't surprise him. Swallowing a bite of his own sandwich, Jack waved a finger at Daniel. "So, can you actually _taste _what you're eating as you wolf it down like that?"

Mouth full, and without missing a beat, Daniel said, "It's a very refined skill."

"Of which you have many, I'm sure." Jack chuckled. He plucked a stray piece of bread crust off his plate and fed it to Dorothy under the table. Taking another bite of his sandwich, he leaned forward with his elbows up, and chewed thoughtfully.

"Hey, did you guys set a date for the wedding, yet?" Daniel asked around a mouthful of food, swallowing after a few more chews and grabbing for his glass of iced tea to wash it down. Apparently, the archaeologist's wheels had been turning while he ate, as well.

Scratching at the back of his head, Jack shrugged. "No, ah, not really."

A skeptical eyebrow rose above the rim of Daniel's glasses. _"Not really?" _he parroted back.

"Sam's been busy." Jack shrugged again, suddenly looking down at Dorothy and finding the dog very interesting.

"And you?" Daniel waved a hand vaguely.

Jack made a face of concentration, stuffing the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth and mumbling, "I've been thinkin' about it."

Daniel picked the last few crumbs off his plate and downed the rest of his drink before standing up. He must have been sensing Jack's eagerness for a change of subject, because he suddenly said, "Hey, you want to go for a walk or something? It's really nice out."

Smiling crookedly, Jack rose to his feet and carried his dish toward the sink, motioning Daniel to do the same. "I just went for a walk before you got here."

"So?" Daniel apparently had itchy feet. He lightly slapped Jack on the shoulder. "C'mon, you need to get out of the house more, and I could use the exercise."

Jack smirked at him, waving a hand at his friend's pasty complexion. "You could also use the sunlight. How long have you been buried under that mountain this time? You're starting to get as dusty as those old rocks of yours."

Daniel just ignored him, shaking his head. He put his plate in the dishwasher, then headed for the door.

Shrugging, and figuring, _why the hell not, _Jack called Dorothy to his side, found her leash, then followed Daniel outside.

-

They walked around the block, Daniel mostly doing all the talking, bringing up random conversation about work and family life, and just about everything in general. When he sensed Jack's sudden need for quiet, Daniel shut his mouth, and they continued on in companionable silence.

Daniel noticed they'd nearly reached the park that was close to Sam's old house when Jack's pace had abruptly slowed. Dorothy's leash was taut as she tried to keep going, but Jack staggered slightly, and Daniel quickly strode to his side and grabbed his friend's upper arm. "Whoa, Jack. You okay?" He looked at him with concern.

Jack stopped for a moment, patting Dorothy on the head when the big dog turned around and came up to him. "I'm fine," he insisted. "I just . . . I'm just tired all of a sudden."

Even though Jack hadn't needed anyone to really look after him for quite a while now, Daniel still felt a protectiveness toward the older man. He knew Jack was still recovering from his surgery, and too much activity tired him out easily. If Daniel hadn't been so jumpy to go out and do something, he knew he would have paid more attention to Jack when his friend had told him that he'd just returned from a walk before Daniel arrived.

Dorothy started whining, and moved closer to Jack, practically leaning up against his legs.

Daniel hadn't let go of Jack's arm. "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drag you all this way."

Tilting his head, Jack rolled his eyes at him and finally tugged his arm away. "Daniel. I said I was okay."

This time, Daniel rolled his eyes right back. "Yeah, and since _'okay' _really means exhausted, Sam's probably going to kill me."

Jack sent him a lopsided smile and shrugged. "Well, as long as she's mad at you and not me, I'm okay with that." He smirked, then tugged lightly on Dorothy's leash and headed back toward the house.

"Thanks a lot, Jack!" Daniel snorted and walked along at his friend's side so he could keep an eye on him as they made the long walk back to the house.

-

Jack sunk down on the sofa and closed his eyes for just a moment. He hadn't realized he'd been sleeping until he opened his eyes again to find Daniel sitting on the other side of the living room, staring at him. He blinked groggily, waiting for his vision to focus. "Daniel?" he murmured sleepily.

Daniel smirked back at him. "You fell asleep."

He yawned, dragging a hand through his hair and looking around. Dorothy was lying on the floor by his feet. "How long I been out?"

Glancing at his watch, Daniel said, "Oh, about an hour."

Still feeling tired, Jack stretched and pushed himself up so that he was on the edge of the sofa cushions. "Sorry," he muttered with a crooked smile and a shrug. "You didn't hafta stick around."

Daniel shrugged back at him. "I figured I'd wait around 'till Sam got home; keep you company. Besides, I can't go back to the base, Janet will have my head."

Jack chuckled, shoving himself to his feet. Dorothy got up with him, and he gave her a pat on the head. "You wanna go out, girl?" She raced up the steps from the lounge, heading for the back door. He took that as an emphatic yes, and went to let her outside.

Since Dorothy seemed to be taking her time, Jack closed the door and returned to the lounge. Daniel was flipping through the channels on TV. He sat down on the couch again, and they wound up watching the last half of a Cubs game before Jack got up again to let Dorothy back in the house. She'd been patiently waiting on the back deck, her tail swishing back and forth when Jack went to get her. He would never get over how good it made him feel that she was always so glad to see him, no matter if he'd been gone the whole day, or just a few minutes. After Jack returned to the lounge with Dorothy on his heels, he and Daniel broke out the chess set and started a game while waiting for Sam to get home.

-

Daniel was losing to Jack horribly by the time Sam arrived. He finally threw his hands in the air in defeat when his friend smugly declared "Check mate!" Sighing and shaking his head, Daniel leaned forward to rest his chin in his hand. "That's it," he said to Jack pointedly, "You've officially got way too much time on your hands to have gotten this good."

Jack smirked, turning his head as Sam stepped down into the lounge. He was waving a hand at the chess board when Dorothy got up from the floor to greet her. "Hey, you're just in time to catch the look of defeat on Danny-boy's face!" He cocked his head, sticking out his lower lip as if a thought just occurred to him. "You don't happen to have a camera on you, do you Sam?"

She rolled her eyes at him, shooting Daniel a sincerely apologetic look. "I apologize for his behavior, Daniel. It's probably my fault that he's gotten so good."

"Hey!" Jack cried out indignantly. "I'll have you both know, I am I fine chess player in my own right, without your coaching!"

"Right," Daniel muttered loud enough for his friend to hear, grinning when Jack narrowed his eyes at him. Smiling widely now, he leaned back in the chair he'd pulled up beside the coffee table, stretched his arms, and got to his feet. "Okay, I think I've officially outstayed my welcome."

"Ya think?" Jack grumbled with feigned annoyance.

"You're not staying for dinner?" Sam asked him as she took a seat beside Jack on the couch.

Daniel shook his head and went to get his coat. "No, I've just been hanging around to keep Janet off my back about being in my lab all day." He shrugged sheepishly when Sam laughed at him, and made his way to the door. "I'll see you guys around."

"Bye, Daniel."

"See ya, Danny-boy. Thanks for the company!" Jack called after him.

Daniel opened the front door and waved back at his friends. "Anytime."

-

Lounging on the couch after dinner, Sam snuggled up to Jack and heaved a contented sigh. She laid her head on his shoulder, an arm behind his back and around his waist, the other hand resting on his stomach. Craning her neck to look up at him, she saw his eyes shift disinterestedly as he idly flicked through the channels on the TV, and smiled. "Hey, Jack?"

"Yeah?" He asked softly, lingering on an old John Wayne western, and dropping the remote.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, subtly testing the waters without giving him a clue as to her intentions just yet.

"I'm fine." Jack answered as though it were automatic, then his lips curved into a brief smile and he added, "Good, even."

Still not giving anything away, and trying to sound nonchalant, she softly questioned, "Do you want to go to bed?"

She felt him shift slightly, no doubt getting ready to be on the defensive, thinking she was just trying to get him to rest. "I'm fine, I'm not tired."

This was fun. Grinning wickedly to herself, Sam turned her face into his neck, kissing it while she slid one hand slowly up under his t-shirt. "I didn't ask if you were tired, I asked if you wanted to go to bed," she whispered seductively, her warm breath on his neck as she began to trace lazy circles on his stomach.

Jack's head jerked, and she felt the muscles of his stomach tighten with anticipation as realization struck him. "Really?" He twisted so that he could look at her.

Sam sat back and smiled at him, adoringly. It had been a while since they'd made love. With Jack's surgery and everything, the two of them had wanted to go slow to be sure he was healthy enough to participate. Janet _had _warned him about "taking it easy," after all. Sam pulled her hand out from beneath his shirt and gently took his hand, her thumb making lazy circles over his knuckles. "You've had more than enough time to heal after the surgery, and as long as you're feeling up to it . . . I don't think Janet would object."

With an excited, boyish grin spreading across his face, Jack stood quickly, pulling Sam up with him and causing Dorothy to leap to her feet where she'd been lounging on the floor. Still holding onto her hand, Jack eagerly tugged Sam to the steps leading from the lounge, in a hurry to get to their bedroom.

Sam laughed softly at Jack's enthusiasm, allowing herself to be practically dragged after him. "There's no need to rush!" she said, laughter coating her voice, though she was just as eager as he was.

"Who's rushing?" He glanced back at her, suddenly stopping in the hall, just in front of the bedroom door. Grinning roguishly, he tugged her against him and kissed her with deep longing. Jack's dark eyes were alight with arousal and need as he said, "I want this to last."

-


	12. Complete

**Chapter Twelve: Complete**

"Jack, you're hogging the covers," Sam moaned in a sleepy mumble, tugging futilely at the blankets in an attempt to block out the sunlight that was streaming through the windows. Refusing to open her eyes and admit that it was morning, Sam gave the blankets one hard yank, rolling to try and pull them with her. She smiled with satisfaction as they gave way, and Jack just happened to come with them. His arms wrapped around her waist, and he snuggled into her back, kissing the warm, bare skin between her shoulder blades.

"I think we gotta get up," Jack mumbled against her skin, unconvincingly.

Sam laughed softly. "Says who?" She pulled his arm tighter around her waist. The bed dipped suddenly, and the two of them became very aware of the large German Shepherd as she stepped on them, making her way to the head of the bed and nosing at their faces.

"Dorothy says," Jack answered with a chuckle, rolling away from Sam, and playfully shoving the dog off them as Sam turned over as well. "Okay, we get it, girl. You want out."

"I swear, she's worse than a little kid sometimes." Sam sat up, enjoying the brief view of her fiancé's naked backside as he climbed out of bed and pulled on his shorts. Heaving a sigh of defeat, she followed him out of bed, reaching for her robe. "I'll go make the coffee."

-

"We should pick a date," Jack said suddenly, catching Sam off-guard as she was sipping her hot coffee.

She set her mug down, tilting her head and blinking with momentary confusion. "What?"

"For the wedding." Jack shrugged, a slow grin spreading across his face and lighting up his eyes. His gaze shifted to the nearly-empty mug that he was sliding back and forth between his hands on the table. "Danny mentioned somethin' about it yesterday, and I just thought . . . You know, that we should." He shrugged again as his gaze slowly returned to her face.

She smiled, nodding. "Okay. Got a date in mind?" Sam had been thinking about the wedding a lot, recently, but hadn't wanted to overwhelm Jack, knowing that he was still recovering after his surgery, no matter how many times he insisted that he was just fine.

"What about July?" he suggested. "The summer's always nice for a wedding."

"Yeah," she agreed, tracing circles on the table with her index finger. "I bet it'll be really beautiful up in Minnesota that time of year, too."

Jack cocked his head, his brows knitting together slowly as he pieced together what she was suggesting. Then a pleased, but surprised look came across his face. "You want us to get married at the cabin?"

She smiled, reaching across the table to take his hand. "I think a nice small wedding at the cabin would be just perfect."

Grinning crookedly, he nodded, an excited spark in his dark eyes that told Sam everything she needed to know.

They were going to get married. She almost didn't believe it, but it was true. Sam couldn't have been happier, and she knew that Jack felt the same.

-

Today was the day. No, not the _Big Day_; today was the day Jack was finally going to meet Sam's brother, and he was nervous as hell. Mark had flown in from San Diego to meet him, though his wife and two kids remained at home. They couldn't join him this time, but Mark had assured Sam that they would be flying in for the wedding. Since Jacob was Earth-bound for the time being, he'd volunteered to pick his son up from the airport, and was currently on his way there.

Jack paced back and forth in the kitchen with his hands shoved into the pockets of his khakis. Sam had told him to relax, that her brother would like him, and she didn't care if he didn't, but Jack still wasn't so sure about the whole thing. It actually meant a lot to him that her family approved. He didn't know why, it just did. Jacob approved, and although he'd never let the man know, Jack had been very pleased with the elder Carter's acceptance.

As he stopped his pacing to stand in front of the sink and stare out the window into the backyard, Jack jerked back with confusion when Dorothy pawed at his leg, and then started whining loudly. After the last incident, he knew it was better to trust the dog's instincts, and began to get down on the floor. "Sam?" He called out, unsure what was going to happen, and wanting her there.

Dorothy sprawled across his legs, still whining.

Jack laid back, feeling an odd, yet disconcertingly familiar sensation that caused every nerve to tingle.

-

Sam had just gotten dressed when she heard Jack call out her name. Before she even left the room, a barking Dorothy bounded through the door, eager to get her attention. She was anxious and on high alert as she followed the dog out of the bedroom. "Okay; I'm coming, I'm coming. Jack?"

She'd just rounded the corner into the kitchen when she found Jack seizing on the floor. His bare toes curled as the spasms hit, his entire body tensing while muscles contracted and relaxed. Jack's head was tossed back in silent agony, his jaw clenched tight like a steel trap, fingers gripping and releasing awkwardly at his sides. It was painful to watch. The veins in his neck bulged with the strain, and his eyes had rolled back in his head.

Quickly kneeling behind him, Sam gently held his head as she waited for the tremors to pass, unable to do anything else. Her eyes watered as she forced herself to keep track of the length of the episode, as per Janet's request. Every time Sam was witness to one of Jack's seizures, her heart ached painfully for him as she willed his torment to be over. She knew he wasn't really aware of what was going on when it happened, but Jack was always more deeply effected afterwards.

While Dorothy laid across Jack's legs, Sam kept track of the length of his seizure, counting off around ninety seconds on her watch before it finally ended, and he became very still. She gently brushed her hand through his hair, shifting so that his head was in her lap as she waited for him to come around.

After a few minutes, Jack was semi-conscious. He groaned softly as his eyes fluttered open, and Sam soothingly continued to run her hand through his hair, trying to coax him into a more alert state. "Jack?"

Seeing that her master was coming around, Dorothy stood up and moved over by his head, staring at him with concern, her tail swishing back and forth sedately.

"Hrm?" Jack slowly brought a hand up to rub at his forehead, blinking up at Sam with glazed eyes.

Sam smiled tightly down at him. "Jack, I know you're probably tired and confused right now, but do you think you could get up to go lie down in the bedroom?"

Nodding sluggishly after a moment, Jack tried to help her get him into a sitting position. Sam still knelt behind him, supporting him so he didn't fall back against the hard floor.

It took a few tries to get him to his feet, and Jack staggered with her all the way to the bedroom, but Sam finally got him on the bed. Dorothy hopped up after him, laying down and pressing against her master's side. "Better?"

"Mrm." Jack's head tilted listlessly, his eyes closing with a groan.

"Sore?" Sam asked knowingly with a concerned frown. The violent way in which his muscles contracted during his seizures was bound to make his entire body hurt.

He heaved a sigh, but didn't speak. Sam suspected that he knew his words would be slurred, and it was useless to waste energy forcing himself to talk. Jack rolled onto his side with obvious effort, curling into a ball and falling into a deep sleep.

After scribbling some notes down in Jack's little orange medical journal that was by the bed, Sam brushed her hand through his hair one last time. She pulled the blankets over him and left the room, certain that Dorothy would keep watch.

-

Sam was in the kitchen, trying to decide what to do for dinner later when she heard the front door open. Stopping what she was doing, she quickly went to the front hall as her father and brother entered the house. "Dad, Mark." She hugged each of them in turn, holding onto her brother extra tight. It had been quite a while since she'd seen him in person.

"Sam, I've missed you. I don't get to chat on the phone with you nearly enough. How have you been?" Her brother asked with a big smile as he held her shoulders and leaned back to get a look at her.

Sam caught her father's grin out of the corner of her eye. She knew how grateful he was to get them all together. "I've been good, Mark," she told him honestly. "How about you, Sue, and the kids?"

"Oh, we're all just fine. Sue recently got a promotion at work, and the kids are excited for their upcoming summer vacation." Her brother smiled with pride. She knew he loved talking about his family. Sam hadn't seen the kids in far too long, and was looking forward to them visiting for the wedding.

Jacob closed the door behind them and set Mark's suitcase down out of the way. "Where's Jack?" He asked, looking around.

"Yes, dear sister," Mark teased, "Where is this guy of yours? I haven't heard too much about him."

Sam smiled tightly, not responding for a moment, then looking up into her father's concerned grey-blue eyes when he lightly grasped her arm. "Ah, he's resting right now."

Mark looked a little confused, while her father just regarded her seriously, sensing something had happened. "What's wrong?" Jacob asked her lowly, leaning close in case she didn't want her brother to hear.

"He had a seizure just a little while ago," Sam explained, her voice a soft whisper.

Her father nodded with solemn, sympathetic understanding, while her brother had overheard, a surprised look on his face. "Sam, shouldn't you call 9-1-1 or something?"

Sam shook her head soberly. "No, Mark. It's . . . Jack has a medical condition. He's on medication, but it still happens from time to time."

It didn't escape her notice that her brother looked a little uncomfortable. "Um, is there anything we can do?"

"No." Sam's gaze flickered between her brother and her father, and she smiled thinly. "Jack just gets tired and a little confused after. He'll rest for a while and be alright."

"Mark, why don't you take your things into the guest room," Jacob interjected. He pointed down the hallway. "Down the hall, first door on the left." When Mark nodded and walked away, Jacob drew closer to Sam, sensing her disquiet. "Are you okay?"

Sam nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just . . . It's hard to watch, you know?" She grimaced, her eyes downcast.

Jacob nodded with understanding. He remembered Jack's first seizure a little more than a year ago, and Sam's distress afterwards. Jacob rubbed his hand along her arm, then pulled her into his warm, sturdy embrace.

Leaning her head on her father's shoulder, Sam was thankful for his presence. She turned her head to kiss his cheek. "I'm glad you could come, Dad. And thanks for bringing Mark. This really means a lot to me. And to Jack."

He leaned back and smiled at her, crows feet crinkling the corners of his eyes. "I know it does, Sammy."

Bracing herself with a deep breath, Sam saw Mark emerging from the guest room, and headed for the kitchen. She figured now was as good a time as any for her to tell her brother a little about the man she was going to marry without embarrassing Jack by doing it in front of him.

-

After chatting with Mark and father for awhile, telling her brother what she could about how she and Jack got to know each other, and making up some story about her year-long absence without revealing any classified information, Sam got up to go check on Jack.

Dorothy's ears perked up as Sam walked in. Jack was still curled up on his side, and the German Shepherd's head rested on his hip as the amber eyes watched Sam enter the room. She smiled at the dog as she made her way in. "Hey, girl, how's he doin'?" Sam whispered. Dorothy was so fiercely protective of him, Sam was sometimes sure that Dorothy thought Jack was one of her pups.

Jack's eyes opened, and he was blinking at her blearily. "Hi," he said hoarsely.

Sam sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching over Jack to pat Dorothy on the head before her hand slid down to take his. She slowly stroked her thumb over his knuckles. "Feel like getting up? Dad and Mark are in the kitchen."

He sighed, and she quickly caught the brief flash of uncertainty in his eyes.

"If you're not up to company right now, at least come out and say hello, then you can come back in here and rest if you want." Sam tried to reassure him, knowing too well that he was probably still feeling a bit off. She stood up, ready to help Jack if he needed it. "I know these aren't exactly the circumstances where you wanted to meet my brother."

With a resigned nod, Jack pushed the blankets off himself and languidly sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed as he did so. He stood with a grunt, swaying slightly and cursing under his breath.

Sam grabbed his arm, and Dorothy quickly hopped off the bed to stand at her master's other side. Leaning sideways, Sam kissed his cheek. "Okay?"

"Yeah." Jack straightened out his sleep-rumpled clothes.

Before they got moving, she reached up to try and smooth down the wayward bits of Jack's hair that were sticking out all over the place. Finally giving up, and smiling when he cocked an eyebrow at her, Sam shrugged and gingerly walked with him to the door, her arm hooked around his.

Her father and brother were talking quietly at the table when Sam and Jack stepped into the kitchen, Dorothy trailing behind. The two men stood up, and she smiled at them, trying to hide her concern when Jack stepped away from her, obviously wanting to hide his weakness from her brother.

"Mark; heard a lot about you." Jack outstretched his hand, his voice low and more controlled than Sam expected it to be. "I'm Jack," he introduced himself.

Smiling, Mark shook his hand. "It's nice to finally meet you." Her brother gave away nothing that he knew anything at all about Jack's condition, and Sam was grateful for that.

"Likewise." Nodding back at Mark, Jack said hello to Jacob and took a seat while Dorothy made the rounds, greeting their guests before loyally taking her spot at Jack's side.

They sat around the table for a while, speaking amiably, but the whole time, Jack was very subdued. Sam was aware that he still wasn't feeling quite up to par, but appreciated his efforts with her brother, allowing Mark to get to know him a little bit. She got up to get Jack a glass of water, and when she came back to the table, noticed that her brother was staring at the horseshoe scar still visible on the side of her fiancé's head. Sitting back down, she subtly kicked her brother's foot under the table, and he shifted focus quickly, having probably not realized what he'd been doing.

Mark cleared his throat. "So, Jack . . . Sam tells me you consult sometimes at the mountain base or something to do with training?" he asked unsurely.

Jack shared a sidelong glance with her father, a crooked smirk on his face, disappearing quickly. "Yeah, something like that. I used to be a field commander."

"Before going into . . . Deep Space Radar . . . telemetry?" Mark blinked, looking a little confused.

Shrugging, Jack grinned, looking more lively than he had since he'd woken up. He had a sly, _'I-know-something-you-don't-know' _smirk. "Yeah, well, after my accident, I hadta do somethin' right?" His dark brown eyes flickered to Sam, then back to her brother. "Besides, it's where I met your sister."

"Oh." Mark nodded distantly, not really knowing what to say.

"Don't dwell on it; it'll only give you a headache," Jack warned candidly.

Sam shared a look with her father and quickly changed the subject. "So, Mark, you're all going to make it to the wedding in July, right?"

He smiled. "Of course, Sam. We wouldn't miss it."

Glancing at Jack, she reached for his hand beneath the table and gave it a squeeze. She turned back to her brother, still holding Jack's hand. "I'll make arrangements for you guys to get a flight to Minnesota."

"Minnesota?" Mark looked at her oddly.

"Yeah. Jack has a cabin there. It's where we want to have the wedding." She smiled. Just thinking about their few months-away wedding sent excited shivers through her. "It's really beautiful there. The kids will love it."

Mark smiled back at her, and Sam could see that he was glad that she'd finally found someone she could be happy with. That meant a lot to her. "Well then, I look forward to it."

-

Jack couldn't believe that they were a month away from the wedding. He was happy and nervous, especially considering that he hadn't suffered any debilitating headaches or nauseas episodes since his last surgery. He was on his way to see Janet for his routine med check, and if everything was well, she'd promised to try and persuade General Hammond to allow him to be more involved in training sessions with recruits and experienced SG teams alike.

Much to his surprise, Sam hurtled around the corner ahead, snagging his arm as he was about to stride into the infirmary. He laughed at her urgency and apparent eagerness, his brows furrowing slightly in confusion. "Hey, what is it?"

"I need to tell you something," she said with a bright smile, her blue eyes shimmering with happiness.

Pausing in his stride, Jack jerked a thumb toward the infirmary, absently wondering if her excitement was due to her having some scientific breakthrough. "I was just about to see the doc."

Sam looked into his eyes, then turned her attention to the open infirmary doors. Janet was inside, standing near an exam bed and looking at them, a suspiciously knowing gleam in her eyes. Sam let go of his arm, took a breath, and smiled with a nod. "It's okay. This can wait until we get home."

"Okay." Jack's brows twitched faintly in confusion, but he nodded.

"Good luck in there." Sam leaned into him, standing on her toes slightly to give him a quick kiss, her hand sliding up and down his arm.

Jack grinned crookedly, slightly wary. He nodded, stepping away from her. "Thanks. I'll see you in a little while."

Sam watched him disappear into the infirmary. She caught Janet's eye briefly, and got a reassuring nod from her friend before smiling back and striding on down the hall, her heart still hammering away in her chest.

-

It was difficult for Sam to contain her emotions without giving anything away as she drove home from the base. Jack looked slightly anxious and pensive in the passenger seat, staring out the window. She knew what was on his mind. He was worried about the results from his latest tests with Janet, results which would determine his future in the Stargate Program. Jack would either be able to further his involvement in the program, or not.

Sam reached across the seat to take Jack's hand that rested on his thigh. She gave his strong digits a squeeze as he glanced away from the window with the contact. He smiled wanly at her before returning his attention to the passing scenery outside the car.

"I'm sure everything is fine," she assured him warmly, confident that Janet would clear him for more duties. He had come so far in the past few years; she had faith.

"Yeah, I guess." He nodded hesitantly, gripping her hand in return. Jack was often bothered by his limitations, and tried not to get his hopes up too high whenever Janet mentioned he was making progress, just because he didn't feel it. After his last surgery, however, improvements with Jack's health became obvious, and it seemed like the first time in a while where he could really hope for more.

-

Sam pulled into the driveway, and restraining her eagerness as she got out of the car, walked with Jack to the front door. They could both hear Dorothy barking excitedly before the key had even turned in the lock.

Quickly shifting sideways as she stepped into the door, Sam narrowly avoided being bowled over by the playful German Shepherd. She ruffled Dorothy's fur as the dog pounced on Jack, and smiled at the big grin that lit up his face at their furry family member's greeting.

"Happy to see us, huh?" Jack asked Dorothy, crouching down to give her a well-deserved rub down as she rolled on her back, exposing her belly.

Deciding she couldn't contain herself any longer, Sam touched Jack's shoulder, sure that her news would get his mind off of what troubled him. "Hey Jack, how do you think Dorothy is with kids?"

"Kids? She's good with Cassie," Jack responded absently, still rubbing the dog's belly as her tail thumped loudly against the floor.

"I know that, but what about . . . little kids?" Sam eased into the surprise, sucking her lower lip between her teeth.

Confused, Jack stopped petting Dorothy and climbed to his feet, looking at Sam oddly. "Little kids?" He repeated, having no idea what she was getting at.

"Yeah," Sam drawled, taking a step closer. She slowly wound her arms around his waist. "Really little, like . . . babies."

Jack's eyebrows shot up. "Babies?" He felt a knot in his throat, suddenly wondering if she was talking about what he thought she was talking about. Jack slid his arms around Sam's waist in return. His gaze flickered down to her stomach between them. "Are you talking about-"

"I'm pregnant, Jack." Sam's bright blue eyes were wet and glossy all of a sudden, a nervous smile on her face.

His eyes went impossibly wide, and a huge grin tugged at his lips. "Pregnant?" he nearly shouted, laughing happily. "Jeeze, Sam!" Jack crushed her to him then, hugging her fiercely before planting his lips against hers with a heartfelt kiss. "A baby!"

Sam laughed, her anxiety quickly ebbing away as he held her. She nodded into the side of his neck. "Yeah. We're gonna have a baby."

Jack leaned back, staring in awe at his soon-to-be wife. God, he loved this woman. They were going to have a baby! He had a helluva lot more to look forward to than simply earning more privileges on base. With Sam, his faithful dog Dorothy, and a little one on the way, he realized that he was finally, truly getting his life back. For the first time in a long while, Jack actually felt complete.

-The End-

**End Note: **I know I didn't get into all the stuff I _could _have, and _wanted _to (like involving more Daniel, Teal'c, Janet, Cassie, and Jacob, addressing stuff about Charlie, etc.) but my muse just refused to take me there.

The ending isn't exactly what I had in mind, and as sad as I am to let this one go - 'cause hey, I've worked on this and _Changes_ for more than four years total - I think I'm pretty happy with where I've ended it.

Also, I'll probably be doing a few more additions to the _Bits and Pieces _series, which covers some stuff before _Changes_, and between _Changes_ and _Transitions_.

**I hope you guys have enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. :) -naz**


End file.
